Communication blackouts are sweeping Gaza. Here’s what to know.

The Gaza Strip’s 2.2 million residents were cut off from internet, cellphone and landline telephone networks Thursday evening — for the fourth time since Israel declared war on Hamas on Oct. 7. Service providers had been expecting an enduring disruption as fuel ran out.

The communications blackouts have effectively sealed off the enclave’s residents from the outside world and from one another, preventing information from getting in or out and plunging residents into digital darkness. Inside the Strip, aid groups have said Palestinians were unable to contact emergency services amid heavy strikes.