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Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel reported a complete loss of landline, mobile, and internet services in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli bombing destroying fiber routes in the area. This outage has posed significant challenges for aid organizations, emergency services, and media outlets working in Gaza. The Israeli military operation in response to terror attacks by Hamas has escalated, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stating that it has entered a “new phase.”

In light of these circumstances, Elon Musk has offered the services of Starlink, his advanced satellite system, to internationally recognized aid organizations operating in Gaza. This offer came in response to a post by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who condemned the communications blackout and highlighted the perilous situation faced by journalists, medical professionals, and innocent people in Gaza.

It remains unclear whether the communications outage was a deliberate act by Israel or collateral damage. While Mark Regev, Senior Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledged that disrupting enemy communications is standard practice during military operations, he did not confirm Israel’s involvement in cutting off communications in Gaza.

This offer from Musk follows the deployment of Starlink in Ukraine after Russia destroyed its telecommunications infrastructure during the invasion in February 2022. However, Musk faced controversy when it was revealed that he had refused to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for a surprise attack on Russian forces in September 2022.

While Elon Musk’s offer to aid organizations has been welcomed, there have been requests from some responders for the connectivity to be extended to all residents in Gaza who are currently cut off from their families and the outside world.

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