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'

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Mon 30 Oct 2023, 6:00 AM

Last updated: Mon 30 Oct 2023, 3:08 PM

Emirati banker Hamad Al Majidi 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.

Advertising

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.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

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 agencies, I did some quick research. I then gave him a list of some of the United Nation's agencies on ground.”

An admirer of Musk, Hamad hoped that he would read the tweet. But Musk went one step further and replied saying that he would support the agencies with Starlink.

Hamad said he was excited when his notifications pinged with a reply from Elon Musk. “I was glad he replied and that I could play a part in helping the oppressed Palestinians,” he said. “People had been campaigning for this for several days and what matters the most is that people are getting the help they need.”

The conversation

On Friday, Denmark based Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis mentioned Musk and tweeted:

“Gaza is under bombardment, the internet and of telecommunications have been cut off. They need StarLink immediately.”

In a further exchange, Musk promised that “SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognized aid organizations.”

This is when Hamad stepped in with his tweet that mentioned United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Volunteers and the chief of UNICEF. Here is his message:

Hamad said that his account started to get 10 to 15 notifications every couple of minutes in the first few hours but soon it snowballed into chaos. “The messages and notifications started pouring in,” he said. “But I am glad that some concrete action is being taken.”

Hours later, some users, including a minister, raised concerns that Musk's communication links, could be used for “terrorist activities” by Hamas militants.

Musk replied to this by saying the company "will take extraordinary measure to confirm that it is used only for purely humanitarian reasons" and that they will conduct "a security check with both the US and Israeli governments before turning on even a single terminal."

Later on in a tweet written in Arabic, Hamad said that irrespective of whether Musk sent the devices or not, he considered it a win. "Israel may prevent him from sending Starlink devices, which will need electricity anyway, which is not currently available in Gaza," he wrote. "It does not matter whether Elon or others respond. What is important is to convey the idea in a respectful manner and without offense, in the hope that it will be heard."

Grateful to be in the UAE

A banker and investor by profession, Hamad usually tweets about business and investments. However, since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, he has also been posting news.

"At a time when people around the world are being fired for taking a side, I am grateful to be in a country which unequivocally stands up for peace,” he said. “The UAE has had various initiatives like Tarahum for Gaza to collect aid and has always been an advocate for peace in the region."

Hamad also said that Musk was one of the brightest minds in the world. “He is one of the best entrepreneurs of our times and one of the best capital allocators of all times,” he said.

Having been a user of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) since 2011, it was during the Covid pandemic that Hamad became active. He said he was happy with how X had supported free speech during the latest crisis.

“On Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram, there were shadow bans and people had their accounts blocked,” he said. “However, X did not have any such issue. That is because Elon Musk is one of the most ardent supporters of free speech.”

ALSO READ: