Armed conflict between Hamas militant groups and Israeli military forces began on 07 October 2023. Since then, intense airstrikes and a complete siege in the Gaza Strip has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has resulted in widespread damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza, significantly disrupting communication networks and impeding life-saving operations.

The WFP-led Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) was activated on 31 October 2023 to meet the urgent need to support access to independent and reliable shared communications services for humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza. Since 09 January, the ETC has presence in Rafah, supporting humanitarian agencies with ICT assessments, technical advice and information, repairs, and guidance on the use of ICT equipment.

The ETC has received EUR250,000 from the Government of France and EUR250,000 from the Government of Luxembourg to continue its activities and address the immediate needs in Gaza. The funding will enable ETC to carry out essential coordination and information management, as well as be ready to deploy shared communications services in up to two locations for the next one to two months, pending the evolution of the situation.