Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. (Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
Elon Musk said on Saturday in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that
SpaceX's Starlink will support communication links in Gaza with
"internationally recognized aid organizations."
Musk said that it was not clear who has authority for ground links in Gaza, but we do know that "no terminal has requested a connection in that area."
A telephone and internet blackout isolated people in Gaza from the world and from each other on Saturday, with calls to loved ones, ambulances or colleagues elsewhere all but impossible as Israel widened its air and ground assault.
International humanitarian organizations said the blackout, which began on Friday evening, was worsening an already desperate situation by impeding life-saving operations and preventing them from contacting their staff on the ground.
Following Russia's Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Starlink satellites were reported to have been critical to maintaining internet connectivity in some areas despite attempted Russian jamming.
Since then, Musk said he declined to extend coverage over Russian-occupied Crimea, refusing to allow his satellites to be used for Ukrainian attacks on Russian forces there.
SpaceX's Starlink will support communication links in Gaza with
"internationally recognized aid organizations."
Musk said that it was not clear who has authority for
ground links in Gaza, but we do know that "no terminal has
requested a connection in that area."
A telephone and...