Musk's Starlink wins license to operate in Israel, parts of Gaza
Starlink will begin selling terminals via an Israeli subsidiary in the coming weeks
Jerusalem: Elon Musk's Starlink won a license to operate in Israel and parts of the Gaza Strip after agreeing to a series of measures to prevent Hamas from getting access to its satellite internet services.
The service will be available to some authorities in Israel and the government approved it for use at a field hospital run by the United Arab Emirates in southern Gaza, the Israeli communications ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Starlink, which will begin selling terminals via an Israeli subsidiary in the coming weeks, will initially restrict sales to a list of approved clients in Israel that include local councils and government bodies.
"Units in the Gaza Strip to support humanitarian causes will be approved individually, only after Israeli security forces confirmed it to be an authorized entity with no concern of risk or possibility of endangering national security," Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said in the statement.
Starlink's services have been increasingly used in conflict zones to provide internet in areas where the infrastructure has been destroyed, including to military units. Musk activated the satellite service in Ukraine in the months after Russia invaded.
Israel will use the service for emergency backup communications, but required assurances from its parent, SpaceX, that Hamas - the group controlling Gaza that's been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union - won't be able to access it.
The UAE will partner with international and regional organisations to introduce the service at its Gaza field hospital, a spokeswoman for the country's foreign ministry said on X.