Billionaire Elon Musk has announced that his satellite internet service, Starlink, is now operational at a hospital in Gaza.
This development follows months of negotiations over humanitarian exemptions to the internet blackout imposed by Israel on the war-torn region, as reported by the Washington Post.
Musk shared on his platform X on Tuesday that Starlink service is now active in Gaza with support from Israel and the UAE, both of which were involved in negotiations to alleviate the impact of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Washington Post noted that while providing internet to a single hospital marks significant progress, its limited scope reflects the Israeli government's reluctance to allow broader internet access to Gaza's residents, fearing it could be used by Hamas.
Ken Zita, a telecommunications expert who has worked with the U.S. government to secure internet access in Palestinian territories for nearly a decade, described it as a small gesture, covering just one location.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite network can provide high-speed internet in remote areas or locations where traditional infrastructure has been disrupted.
On Wednesday, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed thanked Musk for supporting the UAE field hospital in Gaza with Starlink’s internet service.
In February, the Israeli government approved the use of Starlink’s satellite internet service in Israel and parts of Gaza, according to Agence France-Presse.
At that time, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi stated that Starlink's high-speed internet would enable video conferencing with other hospitals and real-time remote disease diagnosis.
Gaza’s hospitals are overwhelmed due to the ongoing conflict that has lasted over nine months, with tens of thousands injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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