Israel and Elon Musk have reached an in-principle agreement to allow Starlink satellites to operate in Israel and the Gaza Strip amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
What Happened: Israel's Minister of Communications, Shlomo Karhi, made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, underlining that an agreement has been reached with Musk during his visit to the country.
"Elon Musk, I congratulate you for reaching a principle understanding with the Ministry of Communications under my leadership," Karhi said.
However, conditions apply to this agreement. Specifically, only those ground units of Starlink, which the Israeli government has approved, will be allowed to be operated both within Israel and the Gaza Strip.
"As a result of this significant agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip," Karhi added.
With this agreement, Musk will be able to fulfill his offer to provide internet connectivity to aid organizations operating in Gaza.
Starlink, operated by Musk's SpaceX, provides satellite connectivity services that can prove to be useful in areas not covered by internet service providers or telecom companies.
During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Musk had offered to provide communication links to "internationally recognized aid organizations" operating in the Gaza Strip.
"SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognized aid organizations," Musk said then.
However, neither Musk, Starlink, nor SpaceX have confirmed this development.
Why It Matters: The Starlink agreement comes amidst Musk's Israel visit at a time when he is under the scanner for endorsing anti-Semitic content on X.
Following his visit, Musk expressed concerns over people supporting Hamas.
"It was troubling to see massive protests in almost every major city in favor of Hamas, they would characterize it as a “free Palestine” movement," Musk said.
"We want a good future for Palestinians, the challenge is how do you get rid of the ones that are hell-bent on murdering Jewish people while minimizing civilian casualties and ultimately stopping the propaganda that is convincing people to engage in murder," he added.
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