Israel "Starlink Gaza Strip Operation, Principle Agreement with Musk"

Musk Makes Surprise Visit to Israel
"Use Allowed with Approval from Israeli Authorities"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, made a sudden visit to Israel and reportedly reached a principle agreement with Israeli authorities on the use of SpaceX's satellite communication system, 'Starlink,' within the Gaza Strip. With most of the electricity and communication facilities destroyed in the Gaza Strip, the Starlink system is expected to be of great help. However, Israeli authorities have stated that they will allow the operation of Starlink under their approval on a limited basis, which is expected to lead to future controversies.

On the 27th (local time), Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (first from the left), and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (second from the right), visited a kibbutz in Israel.
[Image source=UPI·Yonhap News]

According to The Hill, a U.S. political media outlet, on the 27th (local time), Shlomo Karhi, Israel's Minister of Communications, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "We have reached a principle agreement with Musk to operate the Starlink system in the Gaza Strip area," adding, "However, the Starlink system can only be used within the Gaza Strip with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications."

Earlier, CEO Musk made a sudden visit to Kfar Aza Kibbutz in southern Israel together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This location is one of the more than 20 villages attacked by Hamas on October 7. Having recently faced criticism for anti-Semitic remarks, Musk seemed conscious of this and stated, "Hamas must be eliminated," and "There is no choice. I want to help as well."

Since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas on October 7, CEO Musk had continuously offered to provide the Starlink system free of charge to the Gaza Strip to Israeli authorities, but Israel had consistently refused, judging that Hamas might exploit it and it could interfere with operations.

However, after more than 50 days of conflict, with the Israeli military having taken control of most of Gaza City, the central city of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas being largely pushed into the southern region and underground tunnels, it is interpreted that the Israeli military's need for Starlink in their operations led to a change in stance.

Meanwhile, the Starlink system is a satellite communication system operated by SpaceX and is currently being actively used by Ukraine in its war against Russia. It plays a militarily important role as it allows the use of satellite phones and satellite navigation systems (GPS) even in areas where electricity and communication lines have been destroyed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.