ALBAWABA - Following months of negotiations, Elon Musk announced that the services of a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services are now operating in a hospital in Gaza.
Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to announce that Starlink was now active there with the support of Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Starlink, which uses thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide web access, is "now active" in the hospital, Musk wrote in a one-sentence post.
While providing internet connectivity to a single hospital is a step forward, its limited impact " reflects the Israeli government’s reluctance for residents of Gaza to have internet access more broadly, lest it be used by Hamas in the war," The Washington Post reported.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement last week that it was in talks with Israeli authorities about bringing vital security and communications equipment into Gaza to safeguard the safety of humanitarian personnel.
"Humanitarian aid workers need communication equipment to coordinate operations and ensure the safety of the teams operating in a very dangerous environment," the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Office said.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi claimed in November that Musk had established a "principled understanding" with Israel to operate Starlink in Gaza with Israeli consent, following Musk's visit to Israel, during which he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
"Rivers of Blood in Paris" Israeli fabrication by unskilled Arabic speaker, denied by HamasIn response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 39,090+ people, with more than 90,147+ injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
