Pulleys, buckets, smartphones and e-SIM cards: this is how Gaza’s “cyber tree” is built. The goal is to make the Internet accessible to as many people as possible. It’s not just about communicating with the outside world, but also about staying in touch with family and friends, coordinating rescue efforts, finding missing people, and preserving the concept of community after being torn to pieces by war.
Gaza has been an internet black hole, or almost one, since the Israeli invasion began in October. Traffic volume dropped significantly. The broadcast point no longer exists due to airstrikes on telecommunications infrastructure, deliberate blackouts by the Israeli military and restrictions on electricity supplies. Internet connectivity in Gaza dropped from 95% on October 6, 2023 to between 1% and about 30%, according to IODA, a surveillance system run by the Georgia Institute of Technology with U.S. government support.
“Israeli control is meticulous: Palestinian companies PalTel and Jawwal are subject to widespread blockade. People inside Gaza are struggling to connect,” Manolo Luppichini told us. He is one of the driving forces behind Gazaweb, a collective project sponsored by the Italian NGO ACS. Lupicchini relied on the technical skills of ordinary Gazans who were willing to develop solutions to offset the effects of the blackout.
Gaza is a narrow sliver of land, less than 140 square miles, squeezed between Egypt and Israel. Those living in Gaza’s border areas and with Israeli or Egyptian SIM cards can still manage to connect, but after months of military attacks and forced immigration, the numbers are low.
The idea to build a “network tree” stems from trying to solve the shortage of SIM cards, electricity and connections in Gaza’s network: “Since October 7, traditional SIM cards have been inaccessible. However, there are e-SIM cards that you put in A virtual version of the card in your phone,” Luppichini explains. “They are activated via a QR code. They are often used by tourists and entrepreneurs: they buy data packages so that they can stay connected to the Internet at all times, including when moving from one country to another.”
The idea of building a “network tree” stemmed from an attempt to address shortages of hardware, electricity and connections: “Since October 7, it has been impossible” to obtain a SIM card in Gaza.
Following a fundraising campaign in partnership with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Gazaweb successfully sent e-SIM cards to many people via email or WhatsApp. The QR code is used to activate a connection to an Egyptian or Israeli repeater, since the repeater in Gaza has been destroyed. There is a demand for state-of-the-art smartphones, which have been flying off Gaza shelves since October. Those lucky enough to have them can use them together to create a hotspot for dozens of people.
In order to achieve a larger broadcast radius, the phone must be physically positioned as far away from the ground as possible so that the signal can bypass physical obstacles. Buckets and pulleys are used for this purpose. “We’re trying to create a network that’s more grassroots and accessible,” Lupicchini said. “Through the fundraising campaign, we have purchased approximately 20 e-SIM cards, mainly in the Deir al-Bala area. We are establishing contacts with the aim of sending them to other areas as well. Through AICS, we have the resources to support this network of contacts for this work.”
There’s another hurdle that needs to be addressed: the power needed to charge smartphones. Luppichini shows us a power bank that fits in one hand, has multiple USB ports and a built-in solar panel. The goal is to get these items into Gaza, a complex operation given Israel’s strict controls on every entry point and every item that comes in. Anything that generates energy is sent back. “Our hope is to provide as many trees as possible so those trees can flourish and spread,” Lupicchini said. “This is a political issue.”
Access to communications and information is a fundamental right recognized by the United Nations. In other cases, UN agencies have struggled to take action. For example, the World Food Program has a dedicated team, the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, dedicated to providing telephone and internet connectivity to humanitarian organizations and civilians using locally installed equipment.
Such devices are banned in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade, but connections can be established from within the Egyptian border, covering large areas of Gaza. Another possibility is WiMax technology, a form of long-range enhanced WiFi that requires on-site equipment to be installed on the roof or upper floors of a building. With Israeli drones flying over every corner of Gaza, this may be a pipe dream: any rooftop or house with such a device could eventually become a target for the Israeli air force.
Want a daily roundup of all the news and reviews Salon has to offer? Sign up for our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
“In the absence of institutional intervention,” Lupicchini concluded, “the most effective solution is the e-SIM card. However, this is a Band-Aid. As has been done elsewhere, real relaying is needed device. A similar project has been launched in Chiapas [Mexico] and rojava [Syria]: They have set up alternative networks that provide phone and internet connections. “
While Gazaweb appears to be a largely symbolic initiative, it is a political and popular one, channeling energy within Gaza and beyond. It provides financial support to “network gardeners,” network operators who “plant” trees and make them easily accessible. As Luppichini says, “Gazaweb is a symbiotic, collaborative community operation.”
read more
About the conflict in Gaza