American entrepreneur Elon Musk said today that so far there have been no attempts to connect to his “Starlink” satellite internet system from the Gaza Strip.
Musk added that if that happens, his company “SpaceX” will take extraordinary measures to confirm that it is only used for humanitarian purposes.
He said yesterday that he would support the use of “Starlink” for the communications of internationally recognized humanitarian groups in Gaza, since internet and telephone connections were cut off in that enclave.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi threatened to sever all ties with Starlink and fight the move out of fear that Hamas would “use it for terrorist activities.”
“We are not that naive. According to my post, no “Starlink” terminal has attempted to connect from Gaza. If this happens, we will take extraordinary measures to confirm that it is only used for purely humanitarian reasons,” Musk announced on the “X” network.
He added that SpaceX would first conduct a safety check with US and Israeli authorities “before turning on a single terminal.”
Palestinian Authority Communications Minister Ishak Sadr said yesterday that the body is negotiating with Starlink to use its services to restore communications in the Gaza Strip.
The minister added that the Palestinians are negotiating with Egypt about the easier entry of Starlink system equipment into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, Srna reports.
