Palestinians calling home to Gaza on Skype have had their digital lives destroyed, after Microsoft closed their email accounts without warning.
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| Internet and mobile connectivity have been severely affected since the start of fighting between Israel and Hamas . Photo: Getty Images via bbc.com |
BBC News has spoken to 20 Palestinians living abroad who say Microsoft, which owns the voice and video chat app, kicked them out of their accounts. The total number affected is thought to be much higher.
In some cases, these email accounts are more than 15 years old and the users have no way to retrieve emails, contacts or memories.
Microsoft says they violated its terms of service – but will not say how – and the decision is final.
Salah Elsadi is living in the US and, like many Palestinians abroad, was using Skype to call his wife, children and parents on their mobile phones in Gaza.
The internet is frequently disrupted or switched off because of the Israeli military campaign – and standard international calls are very expensive.
bbc.com
