Musk activates internet service in Gaza's UAE field hospital

Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service has been activated in a hospital in the Gaza Strip, the SpaceX chief executive said.

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked the billionaire entrepreneur for supporting the UAE field hospital in Gaza, where many medical facilities have been destroyed in over nine months of war.

"Starlink is now active in a Gaza hospital with the support of @UAEmediaoffice and @Israel," Musk claimed in a post on X, more than five months after the Israeli government approved Starlink's use in the hospital in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The high-speed internet will enable potentially life-saving medical consultations via real-time video calling, the UAE foreign ministry said in February.

Internet connectivity in Gaza is very poor because of the lack of power and fuel to operate provider centres, due to Israel's brutal offensive and siege on the enclave since October 7. The enclave has witnessed repeated blackouts since the start of the war. This makes it harder for medical staff and rescue teams to work, and restricts hospital services and the health ministry's centralised system.

Gaza's healthcare sector has generally been battered by Israel's war, nearing its tenth month.

The UAE, an oil producer and regional finance and tourism hub, signed a deal normalising ties with Israel in 2020 along with Bahrain and Morocco. Sudan later also sealed a normalisation agreement with Israel.