Tesla and Starlink CEO Elon Musk announced that the Starlink communications system is now operational in a hospital in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. “Starlink is now operational in a hospital in the Gaza Strip with the help of the UAE and Israel,” Musk wrote in a post on his social media site X (formerly Twitter).
Starlink provides internet service to more than 80 countries around the world through satellites. In October last year, following the Israeli attack that took down all ISPs in the Gaza Strip, Musk said he would connect international humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip to Starlink’s satellite internet.
READ ALSO | Why Elon Musk is moving SpaceX and SpaceX headquarters from California.
Israeli officials expressed concern, saying Musk’s decision would favor Hamas and its war efforts. Musk then called the head of the Israeli Security Agency, Ronen Bar, and said the connection was “for humanitarian purposes only.”
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 38,919, with 89,622 injured, since October 2023. Israeli forces have killed 37 Palestinians and injured 54 in recent days.