We ask that Google immediately update its default satellite imagery for Gaza on Google Earth and Google Maps to reflect the destruction caused during the 2024–2025 attacks. Outdated imagery from 2023 continues to be shown by default, obscuring the current humanitarian crisis and concealing evidence of mass devastation. 

As concerned global citizens, we are calling on Google to take immediate and transparent action regarding its satellite imagery of Gaza.

As of August 2025, Google Earth and Google Maps continue to display imagery from 2023 by default, showing buildings and infrastructure that have since been destroyed. Meanwhile, updated imagery from 2024 and 2025, which clearly reveals the scale of destruction, is only available through less visible “historical imagery” tools in Google Earth, and not shown at all in Google Maps.

This choice​, intentional or not​, has the effect of minimi​sing the suffering of millions, obscuring the reality on the ground, and hindering public awareness, journalistic reporting, and legal accountability. In a time when human rights violations and possible war crimes are under scrutiny, such decisions carry real-world consequences.

We believe Google has a responsibility to uphold transparency, accuracy, and human dignity in how it represents conflict zones​, especially in a crisis as severe and widely documented as the one in Gaza.

We urge Google to:

• Immediately update the default satellite imagery for Gaza to reflect conditions in 2024–2025.
• Clearly label all imagery with accurate capture dates, visible to all users.
• Provide a public explanation for why outdated imagery continues to be shown as default in this and other conflict zones.

Access to current, truthful visual information is not a luxury​,​ it is a moral and civic necessity, especially when millions of lives are at stake.

We call on Google to do the right thing: Show the truth. Don’t hide Gaza.

Sincerely,

​Paul Georgie, Digital Geographer.