Elon Musk could make himself (and SpaceX) useful by delivering aid to Gaza:
As Werner von Braun famously said: "The rocket worked perfectly, it just landed on the wrong planet." In theory, Starship could be used to deliver cargo to Gaza, but with significant caveats:
Suborbital Trajectory: Starship would need to fly a suborbital path, achieving enough altitude to reach Gaza but not enter orbit. This would require precise trajectory calculations to ensure the payload reaches the correct drop zone.
Payload Descent: The cargo would need to be equipped with a robust parachute system or other deceleration mechanisms to safely descend from high altitudes.
Safety and Regulatory Issues: Delivering cargo to a densely populated area like Gaza from space involves immense safety risks, including potential damage from high-speed re-entry or debris. Additionally, flying over international airspace would require complex permissions due to geopolitical sensitivities.
Engineering Challenges: Starship is designed for space travel, not for atmospheric re-entry and precise terrestrial landings. Modifications would be necessary for such a mission, including systems for controlled deceleration, precise release timing, and perhaps even a different cargo configuration.
Fuel Use: The mission would consume a significant amount of fuel for both the ascent and the controlled descent, reducing the effective payload capacity compared to its space missions.
While the idea is theoretically possible, the practical execution would face enormous technical, logistical, and political hurdles, making it far more complex and risky than using conventional air or sea transport methods.