Hyderabad: Amid communications blackout in war-torn Gaza, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has announced that his satellite-based communications system Starlink “will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
Musk made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a statement by United States Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that cutting off communications in Gaza was “unacceptable.”
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Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
[ComStar]
">Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
[ComStar]Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
[ComStar]
Israel on Saturday expanded its ground operation in Gaza with infantry and armoured vehicles backed by “massive” strikes from the air and sea, including the bombing of Hamas tunnels — a key target in its campaign to crush the territory’s ruling group after its bloody incursion in Israel three weeks ago.
The bombardment also knocked out communications in Gaza, creating a near-blackout of information from the besieged enclave and largely cutting off the territory's 2.3 million people from the outside world.
The #starlinkforgaza has been trending on Twitter since the communications blockade. The U.N. health agency and other aid groups said Saturday they remain unable to communicate with their teams in the besieged Gaza Strip during intense Israeli air and land bombardment. Tedros Adhanom, head of the World Health Organization, said the blackout has made it “impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.”
“We are still out of touch with our staff and health facilities. I’m worried about their safety,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Reports of intense bombardment in Gaza are extremely distressing.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 28, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Evacuation of patients is not possible under such circumstances, nor to find safe shelter.
The blackout is also making it impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.
We are still out of touch with our staff…
">Reports of intense bombardment in Gaza are extremely distressing.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 28, 2023
Evacuation of patients is not possible under such circumstances, nor to find safe shelter.
The blackout is also making it impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.
We are still out of touch with our staff…Reports of intense bombardment in Gaza are extremely distressing.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 28, 2023
Evacuation of patients is not possible under such circumstances, nor to find safe shelter.
The blackout is also making it impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.
We are still out of touch with our staff…
Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, said the organization was “extremely worried” about aid workers and civilians in Gaza following the blackout preventing communications its team.“As conflict rages on, I am extremely worried for the safety of all humanitarian workers and civilians, she said on X. “We are at a tipping point. Humanity must prevail.” UNWRA, the U.N. agency for refugees, announced that as of Friday, 58 staff members had been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
