Elon Musk, who鈥檚 been under fire over on his social media platform X, paid a visit Monday to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz that was attacked last month by Hamas militants and was set to meet with top leaders.
The billionaire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, a rural village that on Oct. 7 in a deadly assault that launched the war.
Musk, wearing a protective vest and escorted by a phalanx of security personnel as rain fell, used his phone to take photos or videos of the devastation, according to .
The Tesla CEO and prime minister visited the homes of some victims, including the family of with dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship who was held hostage by Hamas after her parents were killed. in the latest round of exchanges during a cease-fire in Gaza that is set to expire after Monday.
鈥淚t was jarring to see the scene of the massacre,鈥� Musk later said in an X Spaces conversation with Netanyahu. Musk said he was troubled by video and photos that the prime minister showed him of the killings of civilians, including children.
They spoke broadly about the conflict, the , Hamas, the Middle East and more but did not touch on antisemitism online. Netanyahu said he hoped Musk would be involved in building a better future, to which the billionaire replied, 鈥淚鈥檇 love to help.鈥�
Musk also was due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who鈥檚 now part of a special war Cabinet.
Government spokesperson Eylon Levy declined to say whether Musk was invited or came on his own. X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to a request for comment.
Israel鈥檚 communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, earlier Monday about a deal that his ministry had reached with Musk鈥檚 Starlink satellite internet company.
鈥淎s 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,鈥� Karhi wrote, without providing further details.
Musk has faced accusations from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil rights organization, and others of tolerating antisemitic messages on the platform since purchasing it last year, and the content on X has gained increased scrutiny since the began.
A slew of big brands, including Disney and IBM, decided to after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters said ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts. It came the same week Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory that drew outcry, including from the White House.
Musk this month to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and professing indifference to antisemitism by posting, 鈥淵ou have said the actual truth.鈥�
, saying the Washington-based nonprofit manufactured the report to 鈥渄rive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.鈥�
Monday鈥檚 visit is not the first time . Netanyahu came to California in September, telling the Tesla CEO that he hopes Musk can find a way to roll back antisemitism and other forms of hatred within the limits of the First Amendment.
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