On October the 27th, Israel cut off all phone and internet communications to the Gaza Strip, further plunging the area into darkness. The cutting of internet and phone communications meant that vital life-saving systems such as ambulances, rescuers, and hospitals could not be reached to treat the injured or to rescue those trapped under the rubble. Cutting off the internet also meant that Israel's crimes would be carried out in the dark. But in the midst of this, the volunteer initiative 'Connecting Gaza' was formed, led by Mirna El Helbawi an author and activist, who decided to set up a system for donors around the world to purchase E-SIMs or virtual SIM cards. This was to help Palestinians skirt telecommunications blackouts amid Israeli bombing across the Gaza Strip.