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As communications in Gaza return, more scenes of devastation trickle out

By Nicole Werbeck,
Liz Baker
Published October 29, 2023 at 12:15 PM EDT
Sun., Oct. 29: This image taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 29, 2023, shows black smoke ascending from the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Fadel Senna
/
AFP/Getty Images
Sun., Oct. 29: This image taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 29, 2023, shows black smoke ascending from the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Editor's note: Some images may contain graphic content.

In Gaza, some cellular phone service has been restored after more than 24 hours of a communications blackout.

As Palestinians start to recover their ability to reach the outside world, news of the deteriorating conditions in Gaza is starting to trickle out.

Israel pounded Gaza with more air and ground attacks overnight in an escalating military campaign as the United Nations warned civil order was "starting to break down" in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an attack on Oct. 7, triggering Israel to declare war on Hamas and launch bombings on Gaza.

Sun., Oct. 29

Sun., Oct. 29: Israeli tanks take position along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel.
Maya Alleruzzo / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Israeli tanks take position along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians walk about buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Hatem Moussa / AP
/
AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians walk about buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians walk about buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Hatem Moussa / AP
/
AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians walk about buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians stand around a building destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah.
Hatem Ali / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians stand around a building destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah.
Sun., Oct. 29: Friends and relatives of Yonat Or mourn next to her grave during her funeral at Kibbutz Palmachim, Israel.
Ariel Schalit / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Friends and relatives of Yonat Or mourn next to her grave during her funeral at Kibbutz Palmachim, Israel.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians inspect the house of Hassan Qatnani, which was destroyed by Israeli forces overnight, in the Askar refugee camp, West Bank.
Majdi Mohammed / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians inspect the house of Hassan Qatnani, which was destroyed by Israeli forces overnight, in the Askar refugee camp in the West Bank.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians wait to buy bread during the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah.
Hatem Ali / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians wait to buy bread in Rafah during the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Sun., Oct. 29: Friends and relatives of Yonat Or cry next to her grave during her funeral at Kibbutz Palmachim, Israel. Or was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, in Kibbutz Be'eri near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Ariel Schalit / AP
/
AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Friends and relatives of Yonat Or cry next to her grave during her funeral at Kibbutz Palmachim, Israel. Or was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, in Kibbutz Be'eri near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in a morgue in Khan Younis.
Fatima Shbair / AP
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AP
Sun., Oct. 29: Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in a morgue in Khan Younis.
Sun., Oct. 29: A man stands inside a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Abed / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sun., Oct. 29: A man stands inside a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Sun., Oct. 29: Artillery shells are fired from an undisclosed position toward the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.
Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sun., Oct. 29: Artillery shells are fired from an undisclosed position toward the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.

Sat., Oct. 28

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Sat., Oct. 28: A man drives a damaged car following Israeli strikes in Gaza City.
Mohammed Abed / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: A man drives a damaged car following Israeli strikes in Gaza City.
Sat., Oct. 28: Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in central Israel.
Oded Balilty / AP
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AP
Sat., Oct. 28: Israel's Iron Dome air defense system in central Israel fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.
Sat., Oct. 28: Palestinians storm a UN-run aid supply center, that distributes food to displaced families following Israel's call for more than one million residents in northern Gaza to move south for their safety, in Deir al-Balah.
Mohammed Abed / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: Palestinians storm a United Nations-run aid supply center that distributes food to displaced families following Israel's call for more than 1 million residents in northern Gaza to move south for their safety, in Deir al-Balah.
Sat., Oct. 28: People who were attending a demonstration calling for the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, take cover as warning sirens sound of an incoming rocket attack in Tel Aviv.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: People who were attending a demonstration calling for the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, take cover as warning sirens sound of an incoming rocket attack in Tel Aviv.
Sat., Oct. 28: People gather amid the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al-Shatee camp in Gaza City.
Mohammed Abed / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: People gather amid the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al-Shatee camp in Gaza City.
Sat., Oct. 28: A man stands by a wall identifying hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, during a demonstration calling for their release in Tel Aviv.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: A man stands by a wall identifying hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, during a demonstration calling for their release in Tel Aviv.
Sat., Oct. 28: People queue for fresh water in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Gaza City.
Mohammed Abed / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: People queue for fresh water in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Gaza City.
Sat., Oct. 28: Settlements and workplaces are heavily damaged as Israeli attacks continue on Gaza.
Ali Jadallah / Anadolu/Getty Images
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Anadolu/Getty Images
Sat., Oct. 28: Settlements and workplaces are heavily damaged as Israeli attacks continue on Gaza.
National & International News
Nicole Werbeck
See stories by Nicole Werbeck
Liz Baker
Liz Baker is a producer on NPR's National Desk based in Los Angeles, and is often on the road producing coverage of domestic breaking news stories.
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