New Delhi: Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, will provide connectivity to humanitarian groups in Gaza, the billionaire entrepreneur announced on Saturday.
Musk was responding to a question from US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, who expressed her concern over the internet blackout in the territory amid the ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
AOC posted on X, a social media platform, that cutting off communication to 2.2 million people in Gaza was “unacceptable” and endangered the lives of journalists, medical workers, aid workers, and civilians.
Musk replied to her post by saying, “Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
Starlink is a satellite internet service that is being developed by SpaceX, a company founded by Elon Musk. The service aims to provide fast and reliable internet access to remote areas of the world by launching thousands of satellites into orbit.
The internet outage in Gaza was reported on Friday night as the Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of the area. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that the disruption affected their emergency number 101 and prevented them from sending ambulances to help the injured. They also said that they lost contact with their operations room and teams in Gaza due to the internet shutdown.
“We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there,” wrote the Palestinian Red Crescent Society on X.
It needs to be noted that this is not the first time Musk has extended support in a war crisis. Last year, during the Russia-Ukraine war, the latter’s communication infrastructure was severely damaged. The Ukrainian government sought SpaceX’s Starlink for its satellite internet coverage, which was later used to help civilians and government officials. There was also criticism of the service after it was not extended to Russian-occupied territories.
Musk also faced criticism over Starlink in the Russia-Ukraine war after a biography published by Walter Isaacson earlier this year alleged that the technocrat had ordered the turning off of Starlink services during the Ukraine offensive.
Agencies

KR Desk