Israel will have to control Starlink if it’s over Gaza, officials tell Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service will only be able to operate in the Gaza Strip with the approval of Israel, according to an agreement reportedly reached between Musk and Israeli officials Monday.

Shlomo Karhi, the Israeli minister of communications, said Monday he and Musk came to an agreement over the use of Starlink satellite units in Israel, which the tech billionaire is visiting days after his reply to a conspiracy theory on social media led to him facing renewed accusations of antisemitism. Musk has not publicly confirmed an agreement between Israel and Starlink, which is operated by his company, SpaceX.

“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 wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Starlink is a network of thousands of satellites that can provide high-speed Internet across the world. Musk had previously offered the use of Starlink for humanitarian aid organizations in Gaza, where telecommunications have been repeatedly cut off as part of Israel’s conflict with the militant group Hamas.

Musk had said his company would give Starlink access to “internationally recognized” aid organizations. However, it is unclear how quickly they would be able to connect to the technology, which requires special equipment.

Musk had also offered the use of Starlink to Ukraine in its efforts against Russia’s invasion of the country. However, he admitted that he turned off internet access from his Starlink satellites during a Ukrainian raid last year on a Russian naval fleet. He said at the time he did so to prevent SpaceX from being “complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”

Musk’s visit to Israel came as the tech CEO is facing accusations of antisemitism over a post on X.

One X user claimed Jews have been encouraging “dialectical hatred against whites” and referenced the “hordes of minorities that support flooding their country.” Musk said the user had spoken “the actual truth.” This claim echoes an antisemitic conspiracy theory that accuses Jews of wanting to flood Western countries with nonwhite immigrants.

The Hill has reached out to Starlink for comment.