Operation in the Gaza Strip?
Musk’s Starlink offer outrages Israel
October 29, 2023, 3:23 a.m
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As in Ukraine, US billionaire Musk wants to use his Starlink communications system in another war zone: the Gaza Strip. But the offer has met with sharp criticism in Israel. “Hamas will use it for terrorist activities,” is the accusation.
Israel has reacted with outrage to Elon Musk’s Starlink offer for aid organizations in the Gaza Strip. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said on Saturday (local time) that Israel would use all available means to counteract this. “Hamas will use it for terrorist activities,” Karhi wrote.
“Perhaps Musk would be willing to combine this with the release of our kidnapped babies, sons, daughters, elderly. All of them! Until then, my office will cut all ties to Starlink,” Karhi continued.
Elon Musk announced on Saturday via his Platform According to the entrepreneur, it is not yet clear who is responsible for ground communications in the Gaza Strip.
Israel escalates attacks
A telephone and internet outage has cut off people in the Gaza Strip from the world and each other since Friday evening. Calls were nearly impossible as Israel expanded its air and ground attacks. International aid groups said the outage, which began late Friday, worsened an already desperate situation by preventing life-saving measures and contact with their staff on the ground.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to Reuters’ query about how the company will ensure the Starlink connection is used by aid organizations and not the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Musk had already offered the Starklink system to Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia in February 2022. It helps Ukrainian troops communicate. However, Musk has repeatedly threatened to restrict the service.