Hours after billionaire Elon Musk offered to provide communication links in war-torn Gaza, Israel said that it would “use all means at its disposal to fight this”.
Israel’s communication minister Shlomo Karhi expressed apprehension that Musk’s communication links could be used by Hamas militants for “terrorist activities.”
“HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities,” Karhi wrote. “Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with starlink.”
Israel knocked out the internet and communications in the besieged enclave on Friday, cutting off nearly 2.3 million people from contacting each other as well as the outside world.
International humanitarian organizations said the blackout was worsening an already desperate situation in Gaza. They said that the loss of communication impacts the primary emergency number 101 and obstructs the prompt arrival of ambulances to assist those injured in airstrikes.
On Saturday, Musk said that Starlink – a satellite internet constellation operated by the billionaire’s aerospace company SpaceX – will support connectivity to internationally recognized Gaza aid groups.
His statement came after US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned Israel’s move to cut communications in Gaza.
“Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered,” AOC wrote in a post on X. “I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice.”
Responding to her post, Musk wrote: “Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Starlink satellites were reported to have been critical to maintaining internet connectivity in some areas despite attempted Russian jamming.
However, according to Reuters, SpaceX has not responded to its request for comment on how it would ensure any Starlink connection was used by aid organizations and not by Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.