UAE banker seeks help to get Internet in Gaza for aid workers; Elon Musk responds with a promise

UAE banker seeks help to get Internet in Gaza for aid workers; Elon Musk responds with a promise

'I was glad he replied and that I could play a part in helping the Palestinians'

Published: Mon 30 Oct 2023, 6:00 AM

Emirati banker Hamad Al Majdi has been actively posting about the latest Palestinian crisis on social media platform X since it began on October 7.

On Saturday, he became part of a conversation with billionaire Elon Musk that resulted in the entrepreneur promising to deliver his satellite-based communications system Starlink to aid organisations in the besieged Palestinian city of Gaza.

The move came after Israel cut off internet service for Gaza strip, shortly before beginning a ground invasion. This resulted in thousands of Gazans including journalists, medical staff and aid workers being unable to communicate with the outside world.

Netizen users had requested Musk to provide SpaceX's Starlink to Gaza, like he had done so to Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia's February 2022 invasion of the country. He replied by saying he would support internationally recognized aid agencies. This is when Hamad stepped in with a list of organisations on the ground.

“I had an alert set for Elon Musk,” said Hamad, speaking to Khaleej Times. “So, when I saw that he had replied to a tweet about providing connectivity to Palestinian