Green-lighting Starlink in Gaza could be start of strategic move

This shift was driven by the recognition that Israeli presence in Gaza during the conflict provided an operational environment where the benefits of controlled internet access outweighed the risks.

By Yaakov Lappin, JNS

Israel’s recent decision to permit Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite internet service to a Gaza field hospital, which was built by the United Arab Emirates, represents a shift in the ongoing war that could have more significance than meets the eye.

Tech entrepreneur Musk posted on X on Aug. 10 that he hopes “to do more to help people in Gaza,” three weeks after his company began providing internet services, facilitating video medical consultations at the Rafah hospital. Musk thanked the UAE for its involvement in the project.

Israel’s Communications Ministry approved the initiative in February, in a reversal of a previous policy to deny Starlink access in Gaza.

The decision to reverse the earlier policy was driven by changing conditions in the Strip and a desire to reach a delicate balance between humanitarian considerations, operational needs and broader geopolitical calculations that could invite outside actors from the region and the private sector to play bigger roles in post-war Gaza, observers in Israel said.

Moshe Fuzaylov, a research associate at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, who previously held senior roles in the Shin Bet, told JNS that the earlier Israeli policy was driven by concerns about Hamas using Starlink’s services to facilitate its terrorist operations.

“Hamas, as Israel’s central adversary in Gaza, relies heavily on communication infrastructure to transmit information, issue commands and coordinate military actions,” Fuzaylov explained.

The Israeli government, at the start of the conflict, feared that providing unrestricted internet access would enable Hamas to maintain robust communication, complicating Israel’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle its operational capabilities.

Moreover, there were significant concerns about hostile actors using the internet to support Hamas through disseminating live video of terrorist actions or distributing fake news aimed at harming Israeli morale or framing Israel negatively.

Fuzaylov added, “By connecting to an uncontrolled internet network, external actors might attempt to support Hamas or provide assistance through digital means, such as transferring funds, coordinating operations or sharing classified information.”

This risk extended to cyberattacks on Israeli infrastructure or the leaking of sensitive data.

However, as the war evolved, so too did Israel’s assessment of the situation. After extensive deliberations, Israel agreed to allow Starlink to operate under strict conditions, primarily for humanitarian purposes.

This shift was driven by the recognition that the extensive Israeli presence in Gaza during the conflict provided an operational environment where the benefits of controlled internet access outweighed the risks, according to Fuzaylov.

“The services are now primarily allowed for humanitarian purposes, such as in hospitals and other facilities that are pre-approved by Israeli security authorities,” he said.

The UAE and Gaza’s future

Looking beyond immediate security concerns, the role of the United Arab Emirates in Gaza’s future has also surfaced recently.

The UAE, with its vast wealth and extensive experience in infrastructure development, could become a key player in reconstruction efforts in a post-Hamas Gaza Strip.

Fuzaylov elaborated on the potential role of the UAE, suggesting that the country could—after Israel met its war goals—be instrumental in a “Marshall Plan” for Gaza.

He highlighted several areas where the UAE could make a significant contribution.

“The UAE can assist in rebuilding Gaza’s infrastructure, particularly in the health, education and communication sectors,” Fuzaylov said.

He noted that the UAE’s involvement could include building hospitals, restoring water and electricity infrastructure, and establishing industrial zones to support a more advanced local economy.

Fuzaylov emphasized that the UAE could ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the civilian population without inadvertently strengthening Hamas.

“Projects like the hospital, operated in cooperation with Starlink, could be placed under international supervision to prevent the cynical exploitation of resources for military purposes,” he said.

Furthermore, he noted, in line with its commitment to the Abraham Accords, the UAE has gained valuable experience in changing a school curriculum and altering attitudes that were once hostile to Israel, and could inject this experience into facilitating cultural changes in Gaza after Hamas is eliminated as a ruling regime.

“Cooperation with the UAE could be an important key in the long-term recovery program for Gaza,” Fuzaylov said, “a plan that can serve both Israel’s strategic interests and those of moderate Sunni countries in the region, as well as the humanitarian needs of the local population. An Israeli connection to moderate regional Sunni states holds the potential of banishing the foothold of Iran, the sworn enemy of states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.”

‘First defeat Hamas’

Professor Eyal Zisser, vice rector of Tel Aviv University and holder of the Yona and Dina Ettinger Chair in Contemporary History of the Middle East, also sees the UAE’s involvement as crucial.

“The Emiratis can certainly play a role and are willing to, but first, Hamas must be definitively defeated,” Zisser stressed.

As long as Hamas remains in control, it will resist any efforts to reshape Gaza’s landscape, he said.

Zisser argued that Israel’s shift on Starlink’s involvement is mainly driven by public relations considerations, adding that “in any case, it is possible to monitor [internet traffic], and this also surely serves public relations vis-à-vis Musk.

“From the start, Israel permitted such activities—the use of internet and media in Gaza here and there—so that we would not be pushed into the corner in the United Nations Security Council and by the United States administration, and to reduce exposure to charges of harming the civilian population. This also facilitates medical and humanitarian assistance,” Zisser said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s own relationship with Starlink appears to extend beyond the question of Gaza, with Ynet reporting on June 26 that Israel’s Finance and Communications ministries have been “examining the feasibility of using Starlink’s satellite services in case of disruptions in Israel’s internet connectivity due to an escalation on the northern front.

“Government officials have emphasized the necessity of deploying Starlink’s satellites to ensure a stable internet connection during prolonged power outages,” the report continued.

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