Israel’s official public mapping service has reportedly accidentally exposed high-resolution satellite images showing military positions and extensive destruction across northern Gaza.
The images appeared on GovMap, in what was described as a rare lapse in Israel’s tight control over visual material related to the war.
The exposure was spotted on Monday by X account @Stinky915846091, which focuses on open-source intelligence and frequently analyses the locations of incidents in Gaza.
The Israeli government subsequently re-blurred the entire Gaza area on the official mapping website.
According to Middle East Eye (MEE), GovMap had previously blurred Gaza in its entirety, along with military bases and other sensitive locations in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
The newly exposed imagery covered parts of northern Gaza, including areas around Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, which have been among the areas heavily affected by the war since October 2023.
The images date from 2025 and therefore may not reflect the current condition or location of military forces. However, they reportedly show widespread destruction as well as at least 11 Israeli military positions within the buffer zone.
MEE said it could not independently verify the imagery, although the material was consistent with previous reports documenting the scale of Israel’s military presence in the area and the extent of destruction across northern Gaza.
The reported exposure comes amid continued scrutiny over the scale of destruction in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023.
According to the figures cited in the report, at least 73,928 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,030 injured since the conflict began, including 1,408 deaths and more than 4,916 injuries since a ceasefire in October last year.
Meanwhile, independent assessments have found that more than 80 per cent of buildings across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023, including homes, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure.
