Elon Musk meets with Netanyahu in Israel, tours destroyed kibbutz

“It’s one thing obviously if civilians die accidentally, but it’s another thing to revel in the joy of killing civilians. … That’s evil,” Musk said.

Musk also rebuffed arguments that Israel has disproportionately killed civilians in Gaza, saying the actions of Hamas militants were intentional. “There is an important difference here, which is Israel tries to avoid killing civilians,” Musk said.

The trip comes as Musk faces widespread criticism for his decision to loosen content moderation on X, formerly Twitter, after he purchased the platform last year. Since the Hamas attack, antisemitic content has surged more than 900 percent on the platform, The Washington Post reported. Disinformation specialists have accused Musk of playing a uniquely potent role by easing moderation standards and amplifying antisemitic tropes.

Musk has also been condemned by the White House for indicating support for an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, a move U.S. officials called an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.” A number of major advertisers have fled the platform after their ads appeared next to pro-Nazi posts.

Musk did not directly address those allegations in his conversation with Netanyahu on Monday, but he said there is a need to “stop the propaganda that is convincing people to engage in murder.” The militants must be “neutralized,” he added.

Also on Monday, Musk reached a “principle understanding” with Israel to operate SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in Gaza, according to Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, but only with Israeli approval.

Israeli officials have warned him against supplying aid organizations within Gaza with internet connectivity through Starlink, saying it would be used by Hamas.

Gaza has suffered several communications blackouts since the war began, effectively sealing off the enclave’s residents from the outside world and one another. Aid groups inside the Strip said Palestinians were unable to contact emergency services amid heavy strikes under those blackouts.

“This understanding is vital, as is it for everyone who desires a better world, free of evil and free of antisemitism, for our children’s sake,” Karhi wrote on X before welcoming Musk to the country.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How Starlink would operate in Gaza was not immediately clear. Starlink uses a constellations of about 5,000 satellites operated by SpaceX to beam internet signals to stations on the ground. It’s used primarily in rural and remote areas without broadband access to the internet and has served as a communications lifeline in disaster zones.

But it has also sparked controversy, especially in the war in Ukraine, where government officials have called it critical to that country’s war effort against Russian invaders.

Musk has said he did not want it to be used for offensive purposes, potentially escalating the conflict and when Ukraine asked that it be turned on for an attack on Russian forces in Crimean, he refused. At the time, the Pentagon did not have a contract with SpaceX for use of the Starlink system. Since then, however, it has agreed to a contract for Starlink’s use in Ukraine, though it has declined to discuss the nature of the contract or how it governs the use of the system.

Starlink receivers also reportedly have been sent to Iran for use by dissidents there, though the details are unknown.

Jennifer Hassan reported from London and Aaron Gregg from Washington. Christian Davenport and Lior Soroka contributed to this report.