Jerusalem, 27 November, 2023 (TPS) — Elon Musk saw the devastation from the Oct. 7 massacre on a tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
The tech billionaire and X (formerly Twitter) owner was briefed by the head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Council Yossi Keren and IDF Spokesperson’s Unit representative Liad Diamond.
Keren took the position after Ofir Libstein was killed on Oct. 7 during a gunfight with Hamas terrorists. Musk and Netanyahu visited Libstein’s home, where they were told of his heroic acts on that day.
Kfar Aza, located less than two miles from the Gaza border and home to around 900 residents before the massacre, saw hordes of heavily armed Hamas terrorists invade that morning, murdering an estimated 62 people with at least 19 kidnapped or missing.
A total of 1,200 people were murdered and more than 5,000 wounded across southern Israel on Oct. 7, with some 240 taken hostage to Gaza.
Musk also toured the home of the Itamari family, where Abigail Idan, a 4-year-old American-Israeli, was abducted by Hamas terrorists after they murdered her parents in front of her. Idan crawled under her father’s bloodied body to hide. She was released on Sunday along with 13 other Israelis held in Gaza.
Finally, Musk and Netanyahu moved on to the kibbutz’s “youth neighborhood,” which suffered the brunt of the fire on Oct. 7.
Musk was scheduled to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the families of those still being held hostage by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. According to the President’s Office, they will among other things discuss the need “to act to combat rising antisemitism online.”
Netanyahu later on Monday will hold a live online discussion with Musk about the security aspects of artificial intelligence and other topics, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Musk and Netanyahu met in September in California, where they held a private meeting, held an online discussion and toured the Tesla electric vehicle factory in Fremont.
Ahead of the visit, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced that Musk agreed to only use his Starlink satellite units in Israel and the Gaza Strip with the approval of the ministry.
“Elon Musk, I congratulate you for reaching a principle understanding with the Ministry of Communications under my leadership. 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.
“As the State of Israel fights against Hamas-ISIS, this understanding is vital, as is it for everyone who desires a better world, free of evil and free of anti-Semitism, for our children’s sake,” continued the minister.
In October, Israel denounced a proposal by Musk to provide internet connectivity to aid organizations in Gaza, saying Hamas would take advantage of it.
