Elon Musk told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that he wants to help rebuild Gaza after the end of the Israel-Hamas war.
Why it matters: Musk is in Israel to meet with officials and see sites that Hamas targeted in its Oct. 7 attack. The trip comes as he faces fallout for backing an antisemitic post on X earlier this month, resulting in an exodus of major advertisers.
"We have to demilitarize Gaza after the destruction of Hamas, and we have to deradicalize Gaza ... and then we have to also rebuild Gaza," Netanyahu said in a live chat with Musk on X.
"I'd like to help as well," Musk said, before mentioning the importance of rebuilding Japan and Germany after WWII.
Driving the news: Musk and Netanyahu toured Kfar Aza kibbutz and visited residences in the community while accompanied by security personnel, per videos released by Netanyahu's office.
Musk was also shown photographs taken a few days after the attack, per a press release from the prime minister's office.
After their visit to the kibbutz, Musk said "it was jarring to see the scene of the massacre."
He added that he had been shown a short film of the Hamas attack and that it was "troubling" to see the "to see the joy experienced by people that were killing innocent civilians."
Netanyahu said Israel is making efforts to minimize civilian casualties, while Hamas deliberately targets them.
The big picture: Israel has faced growing international calls for a humanitarian ceasefire amid mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.
Civilians in the enclave are being killed at a historic pace, the New York Times reported.
President Biden has urged Netanyahu to limit Palestinian civilian casualties and abide by international humanitarian law.
Zoom out: Israel and Hamas on Monday agreed to extend a pause in the fighting in Gaza by two days, Israeli, Hamas and Qatari officials said.
Monday was originally scheduled to be the last day of a four-day pause, which was agreed upon to secure the release of 50 of the hostages that Hamas took in the Oct. 7 attack.
Israeli and U.S. officials have said the deal is structured to incentivize Hamas to release more of the hostages. Under the terms, Israel has agreed to extend the pause by a day for every 10 additional hostages Hamas releases.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2023/11/27/elon-musk-visit-israel-netanyahu-hamas-attack
