Elon Musk’s Starlink Activated in Gaza Hospital with Support from UAE and Israel
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service has been successfully activated in a hospital in the Gaza Strip, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the United Arab Emirates and Israel, according to the SpaceX CEO.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s foreign minister, expressed gratitude to the billionaire entrepreneur for his support of the UAE field hospital in Gaza. This development is significant as many medical facilities in the region have been destroyed amid over nine months of conflict.
Musk announced on X, “Starlink is now active in a Gaza hospital with the support of @UAEmediaoffice and @Israel.” This follows the Israeli government’s approval of Starlink for use in the Rafah hospital more than five months ago.
The high-speed internet connection will facilitate potentially life-saving medical consultations via real-time video calling, according to the UAE foreign ministry’s statement from February.
Gaza has struggled with poor internet connectivity due to power and fuel shortages affecting provider centers. This has hampered medical staff and rescue operations, limiting hospital services and affecting the health ministry’s centralized system.
The UAE, a key regional financial and tourism hub, normalized relations with Israel in 2020, joining Bahrain and Morocco in the agreement. Sudan later also formalized its ties with Israel.
The Gaza conflict began when Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel, resulting in 1,200 Israeli casualties and over 250 hostages taken to the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched an offensive that has resulted in more than 39,000 Palestinian deaths, as reported by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, and has devastated much of the coastal territory.
Source: Reuters
