Musk activates Starlink internet service in Gaza hospital

Elon Musk has announced that the Starlink satellite internet service has been activated in a Gaza hospital with assistance from Israel and the UAE after months of destruction.

"Starlink is now active in a Gaza hospital with the support of @UAEmediaoffice and @Israel," Musk posted on X.

The activation comes more than five months after the Israeli government approved the use of Starlink in the hospital located in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Starlink, owned by Musk’s SpaceX, is a network of low Earth orbit satellites providing internet access to remote or disrupted areas.

Starlink is now active in a Gaza hospital with the support of @UAEmediaoffice and @Israel

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2024

The UAE stated that the high-speed internet will facilitate potentially life-saving medical consultations via real-time video calls. The UAE’s foreign minister thanked Musk for supporting the field hospital in Gaza.

The ongoing conflict has led to the destruction of many health facilities in the Palestinian enclave.

The conflict began after Hamas carried out attacks in southern Israel on October 7, leading to Israel's military operation in Gaza. Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US, Germany, and several other countries, killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages, with around 120 still being held.

Israel's military offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 39,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health authorities.