Elon Musk stated that the SpaceX-owned satellite internet constellation, Starlink, will support internet connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
"Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza. [ComStar]," Musk Wrote.
Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza. [ComStar]
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
Musk, who had just met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, made this statement in response to a post by US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where she wrote that "Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered.
"I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice," she continued.
The news comes in the wake of a report from NetBlocks that internet connectivity had largely collapsed in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
Israeli reactions
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi noted his disapproval of Musk's decision, stating that his office will cut any ties with Starlink.
"Israel will use all means at its disposal to fight this," and claimed that Hamas would only use Musk's aid for terrorist activities.
"There is no doubt about it, we know it, and Musk knows it. HAMAS is ISIS," he said. "Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them!"
Musk responded to Karhi on Saturday night, stating "We are not so naive. Per my post, no Starlink terminal has attempted to connect from Gaza."
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
"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 governments before turning on even a single terminal."
Previous post on Irann
Oh the Irany … pic.twitter.com/a1x9hFgJ0Y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
Musk, two hours before he announced the aid to Gaza, also posted on X hinting at his belief that Iran is a victim of American aggression, as he posted a photo with the text: "Oh the Irany," which also shows a map of Iran with American bases surrounding the country accompanied by the caption "Iran wants war. Look how close they put their country to our military bases."
Musk was previously asked to investigate whether Starlink satellites could be operated in Gaza, to which he replied that his company did not detect any attempts by Starlink terminals to get Internet access from the area, and he claimed that if such requests were to arrive, the company would allow connections to aid organizations.