Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told BBC that it is often “standard behaviour to disrupt the communications of your enemy” as Gaza reeled from a communications blackout due to Israeli bombardment.

When asked if Israel had deliberately cut the communications to Gaza, Regev replied: “I didn’t say that. I just said that it is normal practise for Western, democratic armies to do”. He added that he was waiting for a “full briefing” from the IDF to be able to answer why lines were down.