• Source:JND
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Tesla chief Elon Musk on Saturday announced that his satellite-based communication system Starlink will support internet connectivity to internationally recognised aid groups in Gaza. Israel on Friday blocked internet and communications in the Gaza Strip in stepped-up bombardment.

Musk made this announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter in response to a statement by United States leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, that cutting off internet connectivity in Gaza was ‘unacceptable’. 

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"Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered," AOC wrote on X. "I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice," she added. 

Responding to her tweet, Musk said, "Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza."

Reportedly, the aid groups alleged that they were unable to communicate with their teams in the Gaza Strip after phone and internet services collapsed following Israeli bombardment supporting the escalating ground operation.

Starlink is a satellite network established by Musk’s space flight company SpaceX to enable low-cost internet to remote areas. SpaceX plans to eventually have as many as 42,000 satellites in this so-called mega constellation.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that amid the ongoing airstrikes, the "interruption impacts the primary emergency number 101 and obstructs the prompt arrival of ambulances to assist the injured". "We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there," it wrote on X.

The communications shutdown in Gaza was confirmed by Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal. "The heavy bombardment in the last hour destroyed all remaining international routes connecting Gaza to the outside world," the telecom provider wrote on its Facebook page.

(With Inputs From AFP)

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