Users on Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter) are calling on the billionaire to establish high-speed internet in Gaza through his Starlink satellites, after Israel announced a “total siege” on the enclave which has hit the Strip’s supplies of fuel, water, food and electricity.
Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel earlier this month, and the United Nations has said a third of hospitals have closed, after Israel launched airstrikes on the region in retaliation against an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas earlier this month.
Calls for Musk to intervene come as the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a resolution calling for an immediate truce in Gaza and to allow aid access to the area. Delegates from Israel and the United States voted against the proposal, while the United Kingdom abstained.
On Saturday, around 100,000 protestors are expected to march on London demanding a humanitarian ceasefire, as Israel continues its bombardment of the enclave.
The World Health Organisation has also issued the same plea, as it says it is unable to distribute fuel and medical supplies to Gaza due to “a lack of security guarantees”.
Musk previously provided Starlink internet to Ukraine following Russia’s illegal invasion of the country, and now social media users are hoping the businessman will do the same for Gaza:
The Tesla founder – who bought Twitter exactly a year ago - has since responded to the calls, replying “correct” to an account which said Gaza “[needs] the hardware” to access Starlink.
He also wrote: “No terminals from Gaza have attempted to communicate with our constellation. SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognised aid organisations.”
Musk has already been caught up in the Israel-Hamas war over his management of X, as the EU warned him that his platform was spreading “illegal content and information” about the conflict.
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