Elon Musk announces Starlink internet connectivity for Gaza aid ...

SUMMARY

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has unveiled plans to extend support to internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza through his satellite-based communications system, Starlink. This announcement comes in response to a statement by United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who deemed the disruption of communications in Gaza as "unacceptable."

Aid groups operating in the region have encountered significant difficulties in maintaining communication with their teams within the Gaza Strip. Phone and internet services collapsed amid the intense Israeli bombardment, which coincided with an escalating ground operation.

The online community rallied behind this cause. On a day marked by a broad call to action, the hashtag #StarlinkForGaza gained momentum across the Musk-led social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza,” Musk wrote on X.

Presently, Gaza is grappling with a near-complete communications blackout. Both internet and phone services have been unavailable for nearly a day. The Palestinian Red Crescent attributed this disruption to Israel's actions, citing the deliberate cutting of communications.

Meanwhile, Israel has stated that its troops, sent into Gaza on Friday night, remain in the field. This marks a departure from earlier brief sorties into Gaza during a three-week period of bombardment aimed at dismantling Hamas militant strongholds.

Starlink, a project operated by Musk's SpaceX, gained recognition when it was deployed in Ukraine shortly after Russia's invasion in February 2022. This ambitious initiative aims to provide high-speed internet access to underserved and remote areas. It relies on a constellation of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit, an approach that has the potential to bridge the digital divide by offering reliable internet access to regions that were previously hard to reach.

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Published on: Oct 28, 2023, 7:08 PM IST

Posted by: Pranav Dixit, Oct 28, 2023, 6:52 PM IST