\n
Palestinians living abroad have accused Microsoft of closing their email accounts without warning – cutting them off from crucial online services.<\/b><\/p>\n
They say it has left them unable to access bank accounts and job offers – and stopped them using Skype, which Microsoft owns, to contact relatives in war-torn Gaza.<\/p>\n
Microsoft says they violated its terms of service – a claim they dispute.<\/p>\n
“They killed my life online,” said Eiad Hametto, who lives in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
“They\u2019ve suspended my email account that I\u2019ve had for nearly 20 years – It was connected to all my work,” he told the BBC.<\/p>\n
He also said being cut off from Skype was a huge blow for his family.<\/p>\n
The internet is frequently disrupted or switched off there because of the Israeli military campaign – and standard international calls are very expensive. <\/p>\n
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on 7 October, which killed about 1,200 people. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 38,000 people have been killed in the war.<\/p>\n
With a paid Skype subscription, it is possible to call mobiles in Gaza cheaply – and while the internet is down – so it has become a lifeline to many Palestinians. <\/p>\n
Some of the people the BBC spoke to said they suspected they were wrongly thought to have ties to Hamas, which Israel is fighting, and is designated a terrorist organisation by many countries.<\/p>\n
But Mr Hametto denied he had any such links.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are civilians with no political background who just wanted to check on our families,” he said.<\/p>\n
Microsoft did not respond directly when asked if suspected ties to Hamas were the reason for the accounts being shut. <\/p>\n
But a spokesperson said it did not block calls or ban users based on calling region or destination. <\/p>\n
“Blocking in Skype can occur in response to suspected fraudulent activity,” they said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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