Cyber attack targets Medical Aid for Palestinians' website amid Israel-Hamas conflict

In the midst of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Medical Aid for Palestinians organisation has reported a cyber attack on their website, which has disrupted their relief efforts for Gaza. They have also issued a warning that their website may go offline due to these disruptions.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), they posted the following message: "Our website has been under cyber attack since this afternoon, in an apparent attempt to prevent people donating towards our medical relief efforts for #Gaza. As a result, we are experiencing disruptions and the website may go offline."

They further stated, “For those unable to donate on our site but wishing to support our work, please visit: https://justgiving.com/campaign/gaza-emergency2023 You can also donate via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you for your solidarity."

Hamas has also urgently appealed to international relief organisations to provide essential medical and humanitarian supplies to Gaza, according to various reports. The region is facing the threat of starvation and imminent depletion of fuel resources due to Israel withholding critical supplies in response to recent acts of violence by Hamas. On Monday, Israeli authorities imposed a "complete siege" and an "immediate" cut in water supply to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Hamas urged "all relief, health, and charitable institutions in the Arab, Islamic, and international communities to swiftly provide necessary medical and humanitarian aid, as well as fuel, to save the lives of over two million Palestinian residents," as reported by CNN.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians escalated after Hamas fired more than 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip toward Israel on Saturday. In retaliation, Israel has conducted airstrikes on Gaza and imposed a "complete siege" with an immediate water supply cut.

Earlier in the week, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, which puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries. However, it stated that it was currently aware of the use of such weapons in Gaza, as reported by Reuters.

Following the extensive Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas's attacks, the United Nations reported that over 423,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip. According to the UN humanitarian agency Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number of displaced individuals in Gaza increased by 84,444 people to reach a total of 423,378 as of Thursday.

OCHA noted that over 270,000 people, two-thirds of the displaced, sought shelter in schools run by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), while nearly 27,000 people took refuge in schools run by the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, more than 153,000 people found shelter with relatives, neighbours, and in other public facilities.

The bombing campaign has resulted in the destruction of 752 residential and non-residential buildings and 2,835 housing units, according to OCHA, citing data from the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Additionally, almost 1,800 housing units have been rendered uninhabitable beyond repair. Furthermore, at least 90 educational facilities, including 20 UNRWA schools and 70 schools run by the Palestinian Authority, have been damaged, with one school completely destroyed.

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