Elon Musk announced his intention to let organizations benefit from an internet connection Starlink in Gaza.
Satellite internet has very quickly become an essential tool in recent years for countries at war. And in this area, one name keeps coming up: Starlink. The network developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has thus become essential in Ukraine, after more than a year and a half of fighting. And it is now towards another conflict zone, namely the Gaza Strip, that this network could well turn its antennas.
Strong pressure on networks in favor of Starlink in Gaza
Are we going to hear about Starlink in every war from now on? Because after Ukraine, it is now in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Elon Musk’s company is called upon. After being announced two weeks ago as arriving on Israeli territory, it is now in Gaza that the satellite internet company’s terminals could take place.
Indeed, on Friday evening, the Israeli army indicated that it had cut off internet access to residents of the strip of land under siege, a closure confirmed by the Palestinian telecommunications operator Jawwal. In response, Internet users mobilized on X.com, Elon Musk’s network, to ask him to deploy Starlink in Gaza.
The hashtag #StarlinkForGaza thus experienced incredible virality, to the point of being reposted several million times, and finally obtaining a response from Elon Musk. The billionaire reacted favorably to this request: “ Starlink will support the connectivity of internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza. »
Elon Musk is willing, but under certain conditions
But if the richest man in the world wanted to respond to a pressing humanitarian need, he quickly wanted to clarify his thoughts following a tweet from the Israeli Minister of Communications. The latter declared that he was ending relations between his office and Starlink.
“ We are not so naive » he indicated, in response to the possibility of use of the network for military purposes by Hamas. He went on to explain that if Starlink were to arrive in the Gaza Strip, it would obviously be for humanitarian reasons.
And to do this, he promises, if necessary, to “ take extraordinary measures » to ensure proper use of the network. Measures which would also be coupled with a “ security check with the American and Israeli governments » even before any first terminal is put into service. Conditions too drastic to make his will achievable?
Source : The Parisian, Le Figaro
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