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Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is causing controversy in the Middle East. Israel was previously in talks with SpaceX to have Starlink activated in the country ahead of schedule, according to Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi. However, Karhi is now angered by Musk’s recent statement on X (formerly Twitter), where he said, “Starlink will support connections to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.” Karhi’s response to Musk was that Israel would use all available means to counter this, as they believe the Hamas in the Gaza Strip would misuse the system for terrorist purposes.

Between Friday and Saturday, the region was almost completely cut off from the internet, but some connections have since been restored. The internet monitoring organization, Netblocks, confirmed that the internet connection in the Gaza Strip is being restored. Meanwhile, Musk responded to the situation by saying, “We are not naive. No Starlink terminal from Gaza has attempted to establish a connection. If that happens, we will take extraordinary measures to confirm that it is used *solely* for humanitarian purposes.” SpaceX will also conduct security checks with both the US and Israeli governments before activating any terminal.

The disruption of electronic communications reportedly caused the central emergency hotline to fail, according to Palestinian sources. Aid organizations such as the Palestinian Red Crescent, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the World Health Organization were unable to contact their teams in the Gaza Strip. Some people used satellite phones to maintain contact with the outside world, while others went near the border with Egypt in hopes of accessing Egyptian networks. A few individuals have special routers and foreign SIM cards, allowing them to access Israeli networks, as reported by the AP news agency.

In light of this controversy, Israel’s Ministry of Communications has threatened to cut all connections with Starlink unless their demands are met, likely referring to the release of abducted individuals. Musk has stated that Starlink terminals have not made any connection attempts from Gaza and that additional measures will be taken to ensure the system is used for humanitarian purposes only.

(Source: Adapted from original article)

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