Hamzeh Tabash walks to the Egyptian border every day from his tent in Gaza for a faltering mobile signal so he can send voice messages to loved ones separated by war and hopefully receive one in return.

"One message revives the soul," he says.

Most of bombed-out Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes under Israel's intense bombardment and ground assault, scattered into tent cities where their only news of those they care about most depends on a broken phone network.

With the local telecom network almost entirely out of operation, especially in the north and centre of the Palestinian enclave, many people try to connect to the Egyptian network by standing along the border.

"Mother, how are you? I hope you're well. Things are fine here. I wanted to reassure you. Don't worry," Tabash said, recording a short voice note and holding his phone into the air to try to transmit it.