2023-11-17 02:43:51
This article will be continually updated. You can also find current information in the FAZ’s live blog on the war in the Middle East
16. November 2023
Internet access fell by over 80 percent
Internet traffic across the Gaza Strip fell by over 80 percentage points in a week following Hamas’ attack on Israel and remains low. This is shown by the records of the IODA project at the Institute of Technology in Georgia, which analyzes and categorizes internet outages around the world. Between November 15th and November 16th, accessibility fell once more from 12 percent to now just 7 percent. On IODA’s map, Gaza is now colored dark red – this means maximum failure.
The reasons for the internet failure are varied. The current blackout is likely due to a lack of fuel. On November 15, the two largest telecommunications companies in the Gaza Strip, Paltel and Jawwal, announced that their main servers would be gradually shut down due to a lack of fuel. Without fuel, electricity for the data centers and servers can no longer be produced. Israel largely blocks the import of fuel and sets the condition that the fuel is only used for cars. On November 16, Paltel announced that all energy resources had been exhausted and that all telecommunications services in the Gaza Strip were therefore out of operation.
The non-governmental organization “Access Now”, which campaigns for digital rights worldwide, accuses Israel of targeted attacks on the telecommunications infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Whether targeted or not, the bombings destroyed the company’s fiber routes on October 27, according to Paltel. Since Paltel is not only the largest but also one of the few remaining telecommunications companies with an operational infrastructure, this caused the first blackout on October 27th. In addition to internet access, landline telephony and mobile communications were no longer possible.
This is the third time in less than three weeks that there has been a virtual total telecommunications failure in Gaza. The UN, the Palestinian Red Crescent and Amnesty International particularly complain regarding the catastrophic impact on the medical and humanitarian situation and the loss of contact with and among employees on site. Life-saving information would no longer reach people and emergency services might not be contacted.
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14. November 2023
Israeli ground troops reach Shifa Hospital
According to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW), Israeli soldiers and tanks have reached the gate of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to the Israeli military’s international spokesman, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, Israeli troops have not yet entered the hospital. In the area surrounding the clinic, there were battles with terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) for the fourth day in a row. Fighting also broke out in the northwestern part of the Gaza Strip as Israeli troops advanced.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu considers the previous offensive to be a success. As early as November 11, he announced that “Hamas had lost control of the northern Gaza Strip.”
Israel’s advance in the Gaza Strip
In fact, the armed forces were able to advance deep into the Gaza Strip within a very short period of time. At the end of October, Israeli ground troops penetrated the sealed-off coastal strip on three axes. South of Gaza City, the advance reached the important north-south main road Salah Al-Din following a few days and, according to military spokesman Daniel Hagari, has since divided the Gaza Strip into northern and southern parts. Shortly therefollowing, Gaza City was almost completely surrounded by another advance along the Mediterranean coast.
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10. November 2023
Almost half of the Palestinians in Gaza are children
The Gaza Strip has one of the youngest populations in the world: almost half of the people are under 14 years old. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, more than 4,200 children have been killed in the war so far. The UN also reports that more than 1,200 children are missing as of November 10th.
With an area slightly smaller than Bremen and a population of around 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. This unusual settlement structure and demographics is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian Territories, which include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The population in these areas has been growing rapidly for decades and the average age is therefore correspondingly low, with the Gaza Strip population being younger and growing faster than that of the West Bank. 60 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip is under 20 years old.
A comparison with Germany makes the dynamics of this development clear: In this country, the largest population group is between 40 and 60 years old. The age structure in Germany is characterized by a low birth rate and increasing life expectancy. In the Gaza Strip, however, the opposite is the case. High birth rates in the region contribute significantly to the fact that the majority of the population is still so young. Socioeconomic conditions can also play a crucial role, as limited educational levels and limited job opportunities in the region can lead to early family formation.
According to the US federal agency “United States Census Bureau”, the German population is expected to shrink by 13.8 percent from 2023 to 2100, while the population in the Gaza Strip will increase by another 84 percent to almost four million during this period will double. However, it remains unclear what developments will shape the Gaza Strip by then.
In an international comparison, the young age of the Palestinian population becomes even clearer. In these areas, the median age, i.e. the age that divides the population of a country into two equal groups, is 19.2 years. With a median age of just 17.7 years, the Gaza Strip is slightly younger than the West Bank, where the median age is 21.3 years. Germany, on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum and has a median age of 44.9 years.
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7. November 2023
Analysis of the extent of destruction in the Gaza Strip
Between 38,000 and 45,000 buildings have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli bombings in recent weeks. This is the conclusion reached by geographers Jamon van den Hoek from Oregon State University and Corey Scheer from the Cuny Graduate Center in New York. In the entire Gaza Strip, around 15 percent of all buildings are damaged or destroyed.
According to their estimates, one in three houses in the embattled northern Gaza Strip is damaged by rocket and artillery fire. For the assessment, the researchers used remote sensing data from the European Copernicus Sentinel-I satellites. Using an automated process, they identified building footprints in urban areas that were likely damaged. For their analysis, they evaluated satellite images from the beginning of the war until November 5th. Although the researchers caution that their results are only an estimate, their spatial analysis shows the enormous destructive potential of the Israeli bombing campaign. The ongoing shelling is currently also supporting the advance of the ground troops.
However, according to observers, the artillery and air strikes are significantly more intense than in previous Gaza wars. The Palestinian side also repeatedly complains regarding attacks on civilian facilities.
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2. November 2023
Satellite images show Israel’s ground offensive
It took almost three weeks following Hamas’ terrorist attacks before the Israeli army (IDF) began its ground offensive into the Gaza Strip on Saturday night. Since then, units with numerous armored vehicles have been moving into the area controlled by Hamas from three sides.
The army released numerous videos of its massive deployment on the edge of the Gaza Strip. However, she keeps a low profile with precise information regarding the operation, as every detail can play into the hands of the enemy.
Satellite images published by Planet Labs on Monday show the IDF’s advance at the northwesternmost point of the Gaza Strip. Wide tracks in the sandy ground show where the units advanced into the Gaza Strip. Armored bulldozers were used to build sand walls along the route and in the makeshift positions to secure the advance.
Satellite image from October 30, 2023
Graphics: jpg., omer. / Sources: Planet Labs PBC, New York Times
Israel’s stated goal is to dismantle Hamas and destroy all of its structures in the Gaza Strip. However, the terrorist group is believed to have constructed tunnels and underground defenses in the most densely populated areas. The images from Monday show how the Israeli army is gradually building a network of supply routes and junctions, where dozens of armored vehicles can often be seen.
The most severe destruction can usually be seen in the immediate vicinity of these locations – possibly to give Hamas no cover for attacks. But there are countless craters left by air raids and artillery shells all over the area. In some cases, entire blocks of flats have been razed to the ground.
Monday’s satellite images show that until then the Israeli army had moved mainly in less densely populated areas. The Gaza Strip’s cramped neighborhoods and refugee camps begin south and east of Israel’s forward positions, with the sea to the west. It is still unclear whether the IDF will advance further from there or whether it will only make targeted advances from the secured positions.
Sara Wagener Published/Updated: Recommendations: 257 Laura Gabler, Manon Priebe, Majd El-Safadi Published/Updated: Recommendations: 57 Alexander Haneke Published/Updated: Recommendations: 50 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 394 Christoph Ehrhardt Published/Updated: Recommendations: 57
According to the Israeli army, the heavy air attack on a Hamas leader in the Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday, in which an Islamist tunnel system collapsed and dozens of civilians were said to have been killed, was directed by ground troops. Jabalia lies immediately east of the satellite image and is currently being held by Israeli ground forces from two sides.
The American broadcaster CNN reported, citing the analysis of video recordings, that Israeli troops had taken over buildings at the bottom of the satellite image on Tuesday.
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