Google Earth's updated satellite images of Gaza show a fractured reality

Visible on both Google Earth and Google Maps, the updated satellite images of Gaza show destruction mostly in the area around the Beit Hanoun neighborhood in the north. Though recently added, the images date back to October and November 2023, meaning Google still doesn't have current satellite mapping of Gaza.

The lack of up-to-date visuals on Google Earth is not unique to views of Gaza. From war-torn countries such as Ukraine to the central parts of busy mega cities like New York and London, satellite imagery is usually around two years old. Still, satellite companies have reportedly been delaying the release of their images from Gaza, with a Semafor investigation from late 2023 describing restricted access to visuals of the Gaza Strip from satellite imagery company Planet Labs, which supplies Google.

Since this article was published, Planet Labs reached out to Mashable to provide the following statement: "Planet does not censor, modify or manipulate images. Planet is continuing to make earth observation data of Gaza available to clients, including media and humanitarian organizations, consistent with our commitment to transparency and accountability. Planet refuted Semafor's inaccurate reporting when their article was published and the publication declined to correct the story."

Recent satellite imagery from the companies supplying Google Earth is still not available in the public domain. Mashable reached out to Google who have not yet provided a comment, but Google Earth's Community Guide offers some clarity to their satellite update processes.

Up until 2020, the 1997 Kyl-Bingaman Amendment to the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act restricted American companies from publishing satellite images from over Israel and occupied Palestine with resolution higher than two meters per pixel. In June 2020, the U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs Office began allowing commercial satellite companies to produce higher quality images, but the current satellite photos don't come close to communicating the realities on the ground.

Not knowing what remains of their lives in northern Gaza, displaced Palestinians are now returning to their homes and searching fort their loved ones for the first time after the start of the 15-month war. As part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israel allowed the first crossing point in central Gaza to open after Hamas agreed to release Israeli civilian Arbel Yehoud. The temporary truce is meant to last for 42 days, and it is still uncertain whether there will be a deal permanently ending hostilities. Recently Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been issued an arrest warning from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, became the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the start of Donald Trump's second term as U.S. president. During a joint press conference, Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza, suggesting that Palestinians should flee Gaza to "countries of interest with a humanitarian heart."

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 46,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, though these numbers only account for people killed by bombs and bullets, and research published in The Lancet medical journal estimates that the actual death toll could be up to 40 percent higher. The report also says that 59.1 percent of those who died from dramatic injuries were women, children, and elderly people.

UPDATE: Feb. 7, 2025, 9:56 a.m. UTC Added statement from Planet Labs and amended date of Semafor investigation.