Elon Musk’s offer to provide Starlink to Gaza angers Israel

As Gaza experienced a near-total communications blackout on Friday, South African-born billionaire tycoon Elon Musk’s gesture to provide internet connectivity to the Palestinian enclave has not gone well with Israel.

Soon after Israel cut of communication in Gaza, a campaign began trending on social media platforms, calling on Musk to power the bombarded enclave with Starlink internet.

Musk responded to the calls and shared a post on his platform X (formally Twitter) saying he would allow his SpaceX Starlink satellite network to support communications in Gaza for “internationally recognised aid organisations”.

In another post replying to another X account, Musk said, “No terminals from Gaza have attempted to communicate with our constellation.”

No terminals from Gaza have attempted to communicate with our constellation.

SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognized aid organizations.

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023

Communications cut

International aid agencies and journalists have said they were unable to communicate with staff on the ground in Gaza and rescue workers had not been able to connect to mobile networks, hampering civilian recovery efforts.

ALSO READ: Huge queues at Gaza bakeries as war shortages bite

The World Health Organization said it was “out of touch” with its staff in Gaza and the commissioner general of the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees wrote to staff on Saturday saying that the organization was “deeply worried” about them amid the blackout.

It also said the blackout made it impossible for ambulances to locate the injured.

Cutting off most of the communications between the Gaza Strip and the world garnered criticism from various sides, including American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Cortez expressed her concerns on X, stating: “Cutting off all media access for a population of 2.2 million people is unacceptable. I cannot fathom how such an action can be justified.”

Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.

[ComStar]

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023

Israel angry

However, Shlomo Karhi, the Israeli communications minister was not happy with Musk’s gesture and claimed it would be used for other purposes saying Israel would use “all means at its disposal to fight this”.

“Hamas will use it for terrorist activities,” he said. “There is no doubt about it, we know it, and Musk knows it.”

Musk replied: “We are not so naive. Per my post, no Starlink terminal has attempted to connect from Gaza. If one does, we will take extraordinary measures to confirm that it is used only for purely humanitarian reasons.

We are not so naive.

Per my post, no Starlink terminal has attempted to connect from Gaza.

If one does, we will take extraordinary measures to confirm that it is used *only* for purely humanitarian reasons.

Moreover, we will do a security check with both the US and Israeli…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023

Starlink is comprised a “constellation of thousands of satellites” that orbit very close to Earth at about 550 km from the surface, making it easier to provide internet services in rural and isolated regions of the world where the internet terminals and cables aren’t strong.

Conflict

More than half of Gaza’s population – some 1.4 million people – have fled their homes since the war erupted on October 7, with Israel relentlessly bombarding the territory after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

Since then, medics in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 8,000 people have been killed, with the authorities saying tens of thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, among them some 40 bakeries, according to AFP.

Meanwhile United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres has continued his call for a ceasefire.

“I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, together with the unconditional release of hostages and the delivery of relief at a level corresponding to the dramatic needs of the people in Gaza, where a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in front of our eyes,” Guterres said.

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