Gaza: In an unusual lapse in Israel’s control over wartime visuals, an official public mapping portal, GovMap, briefly published clear imagery of a heightened level of destruction across northern Gaza.
The rare error was first flagged by a user on X on Monday, September 28. The user is known for frequently geolocating such incidents in the Gaza Strip, Middle East Eye reported.
GovMap generally blurs the entirety of the Gaza Strip, along with military bases and sensitive sites in occupied West Bank and Israel.
After the social media user exposed the high-resolution imagery, the Israeli government swiftly restored the blurring over Gaza on the GovMap website.
Another user on X posted the unblurred satellite tiles on Soar Atlas after backing them up. The images are dated 2025 and show extensive destruction and roughly 11 military sites inside the buffer zone.
The unblurred imagery covered cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia as neighbourhoods more heavily affected during Israel’s military action since October 2023.
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