Israel briefly publishes unblurred satellite imagery of northern Gaza
GovMap historically blurs the entire Gaza Strip, as well as military bases and other sensitive sites in Israel and the occupied West Bank. The temporary publication represented a rare lapse in the control of wartime imagery
Israel's official public mapping portal, GovMap, briefly published unblurred, high-resolution satellite imagery covering parts of northern Gaza, revealing military infrastructure and extensive destruction in several areas.
GovMap historically blurs the entire Gaza Strip, as well as military bases and other sensitive sites in Israel and the occupied West Bank. The temporary publication represented a rare lapse in the control of wartime imagery, says the Middle East Eye.
The unblurred imagery was discovered by an open-source intelligence account on X, @Stinky915846091. Following the exposure, the Israeli government restored the blurring across Gaza on the GovMap website.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Another X user, @Nrg8000, backed up the unblurred satellite tiles and posted the complete imagery to Soar Atlas.
The satellite images date from 2025 and therefore do not necessarily reflect current troop positions, but they showed significant military infrastructure and destruction.
The imagery revealed at least 11 Israeli military bases located inside the army's buffer zone.
In Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, the images showed entire blocks reduced to rubble in an area that has been largely depopulated and turned into a military zone.
Images of Shujaiya, a neighbourhood in Gaza City, showed extensive destruction, with roads, buildings and infrastructure obliterated.
At the Karni crossing, the imagery showed a heavy military deployment and a forward base used to launch deeper operations into Gaza.
The imagery also depicted military positions in eastern Jabalia and northern Gaza enclosed by earth barriers, along with heavy deployments of military vehicles and artillery installations.
Independent evaluations cited in the report indicate that more than 80% of all structures in Gaza, including homes, hospitals and schools, have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023.
The report also said Israeli military action has killed at least 73,928 Palestinians and injured more than 175,030 since October 2023.
