Starlink to Gaza – Elon Musk takes on Israel
“Communication lines that were completely dead seem to be starting up again.”
“The ground troops that went in in the last 48 hours are still not coming out, at least not in large numbers,” reports Tatjana Om, a war correspondent near the Gaza Strip. Completely down communication lines in Gaza “look like they’re starting up again.”
Businessman Elon Musk has offered his Starlink satellite service for use in the Gaza Strip, defrauding Israel. The communications minister fears that Hamas could exploit the system. Musk rejected the minister’s clever compromise plan.
EFirst Ukraine, now the Middle East: Elon Musk is at war again. The billionaire and entrepreneur announced that he will provide telecommunications in the Gaza Strip through his provider Starlink. Musk wrote on Saturday on the X Network, formerly Twitter, that he also owns, that internationally recognized aid organizations should have links.
On Saturday night, Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced, among other things, that internet and mobile communications in the Gaza Strip had been disrupted by Israeli airstrikes. UN agencies such as the World Food Programme, Children’s Fund UNICEF and the World Health Organization said they had lost contact with their staff. By Sunday morning, Palestinian media reported that internet and telephone were gradually restored.
Musk’s pledge was in response to a call by US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X. “Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian workers and innocent people are all at risk.” The United States has condemned the practice in the past, Ocasio-Cortez said.
Ocasio-Cortez belongs to the left wing of the Democratic Party and is a member of the United States House of Representatives. After the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, the Democratic Socialists of America, which included Ocasio-Cortez, called for a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York.
During the demonstration, participants displayed the swastika and burned the Israeli flag. Ocasio-Cortez later condemned the demonstration. But Musk’s open response to the pro-Palestinian camp’s demand may have further angered Jerusalem.
Israel offers hostages in exchange for Starling
Accordingly, Israel reacted angrily to Musk’s announcement that he would provide telecommunications in the Gaza Strip. “Israel will use all available means to combat this,” Telecommunications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote in X. He expressed fears that Hamas could use the satellite link for terrorist activities. “There’s no doubt about it, we know it, Musk knows it. Hamas is ISIS.
However, Garhi made Musk an offer: Musk could make the Starling stationed in Gaza conditional on the release of all Israeli hostages. “Until then, my office will sever all ties with Starlink,” the minister wrote.
The businessman responded immediately, but without responding to the suggestion. No attempt has yet been made to establish an Internet connection through the Starlink terminal in Gaza. Musk announced that he was taking steps to ensure that the terminals would be used solely for humanitarian purposes. “Additionally, prior to operating a single terminal, we will conduct a security review with the US and Israeli governments,” Musk wrote. According to the entrepreneur, it is still unclear who is responsible for ground communication in the Gaza Strip.
Musk’s Starlink satellite service already plays a key role in Ukraine’s security, as the system allows for real-time data transmission. Musk also gave Starling to protesters in Iran. Launched in 2020, the service operates a network of around 5,000 satellites to provide internet access in areas not connected to the global network by cable.
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