Elon Musk offered his advanced Starlink satellite system to support internationally recognized aid organizations working in Gaza after a communication breakdown occurred as Israel stepped up its military campaign in the region.
The Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel said on Friday evening that all landline, mobile and internet connections in the Gaza Strip were lost after Israeli bombings destroyed the remaining fiber optic lines serving the area.
The Israeli military action is a response to the horrific terrorist attacks by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,400 people were killed and more than 220 people were taken hostage.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that the military operation in the Gaza Strip had entered a “new phase”.
Aid organizations, emergency services and media companies working in the Gaza Strip said the communication breakdown had significantly affected their work.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), reported on Saturday on X that he had lost contact with his teams in Gaza and that the situation was at a “tipping point”.
Musk offered Starlink’s services in a message on his X platform (formerly Twitter) in response to a message from Democratic US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exposing the miscommunication.
“Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian workers and innocent people are all at risk. I don’t know how such an act can be defended. The United States has condemned this practice in the past,” she wrote.
Musk responded to the post: “Starlink will support connectivity with internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
It is unclear whether the communication breakdown was due to an intentional act by Israel or collateral damage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser, Mark Regev, told the BBC on Saturday that disrupting an enemy’s communications during military operations is standard behavior for the British and American armies.
However, he would not confirm whether Israel deliberately cut off communications in Gaza.
Musk’s offer follows the deployment of Starlink in Ukraine after Russia destroyed its telecommunications infrastructure when it invaded the country in February 2022.
However, the tech tycoon sparked controversy when it emerged that it had prevented Ukraine from using the Starlink service for a surprise attack on Russian forces in September 2022.
The offer from aid organizations in Gaza was welcomed in the responses
Source: Deadline
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
