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eSIM cards help war-torn Gaza stay online

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Mai Yaghi, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Palestinians fleeing Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza, carry some belongings as they walk along a road leading to the southern areas of the enclave on November 18, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Mohammed Abed, AFP." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/11/20/palestinians-fleeing-gaza-city.jpg"/><figcaption>Palestinians fleeing Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza, carry some belongings as they walk along a road leading to the southern areas of the enclave on November 18, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. <em>Mohammed Abed, AFP.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>RAFAH, Palestine — Power cuts have become a fact of life in war-torn Gaza. But thanks to embedded SIM cards, Palestinians can still access the internet and maintain a channel of communication with loved ones abroad.</p><p>&quot;Without them, we&#x27;d be cut off from the world,&quot; said Hani al-Shaer, a local journalist who depends on eSIM cards to do his live streams.</p><p>&quot;And no one would know what was happening in Gaza,&quot; he added, just as the besieged territory on Tuesday experienced the latest in a series of telecoms breakdowns since the war began.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/26/23/un-gravely-concerned-by-israeli-strikes-in-central-gaza">UN &#x27;gravely concerned&#x27; by Israeli strikes in central Gaza</a></li></ul><p>Israel has led a massive air and ground campaign against the Palestinian militants since Hamas&#x27; October 7 attack.</p><p>The offensive has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins and killed at least 20,915 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.</p><p>Human Rights Watch has warned that phone and internet disruptions in Gaza could &quot;provide cover for atrocities and breed impunity while further undermining humanitarian efforts and putting lives at risk&quot;.</p><div><strong>SIMPLE IDEA</strong></div><p>The idea behind the eSIM is simple: they are a software version of the chips traditionally inserted into phones to connect to cellular networks and the internet.</p><p>Embedded directly into a device, they can be activated using a QR code, which Gaza residents receive from family members living abroad.</p><p>The Gaza residents are then able to connect in roaming mode to a foreign network -- often an Israeli one or sometimes Egyptian.</p><p>The eSIM has been a godsend, said Samar Labad.</p><p>The 38-year-old fled her home in Gaza City for the south, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been living in makeshift camps.</p><p>Now in Rafah, she had lost contact with her family for over a week. But then her brother -- who lives in Belgium -- sent her an eSIM.</p><p>&quot;The connection is not stable, but it does the trick,&quot; she said. &quot;At least we can stay in touch to reassure each other, even if intermittently.&quot;</p><p>She also has loved ones in Khan Yunis.</p><p>&quot;I find out how they&#x27;re doing from someone who lives with them, whose phone is eSIM-compatible,&quot; she said.</p><p>Service is only available in areas near the border with Israel. Otherwise, you have to climb up to the roof to catch a signal.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YJ2VEzmf2y8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>SEARCH FOR VICTIMS </strong></div><p>Ibrahim Mukhaimar, who owns a mobile phone store, said his main customers are journalists who use eSIMs to provide the outside world with an accurate account of the situation in Gaza.</p><p>He said they vitally communicate &quot;that there is a lack of basic items necessary for survival&quot; in the besieged territory.</p><p>His eSIM customers also include &quot;doctors and civil defence employees who are looking to learn the exact location of strikes in order to help people&quot;, Mukhaimar said.</p><p>Employees of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, also use them to organise aid convoys.</p><p>While the cards help offset telecom outages, internet access is required to activate them in the first place.</p><p>The price varies from &quot;15 to 100 dollars, depending on how long they&#x27;re valid for&quot;, said video journalist Yasser Qudieh.</p><p>He added that local journalists with eSIMs end up serving as messengers for others.</p><p>&quot;Many expats get in touch with us to follow the latest news from Gaza and get information regarding their families,&quot; he said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/avB6CrfKLi0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

Human Rights Watch has warned that phone and internet disruptions in Gaza could 'provide cover for atrocities and breed impunity.'

eSIM cards help war-torn Gaza stay online

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eSIM cards help war-torn Gaza stay online

Mai Yaghi,

Agence France-Presse

Published Dec 27, 2023 02:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Israel

Palestine

Hamas

war

Gaza

esim

internet

sim card

Rafah

human rights

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