Viral Google Maps Images Shared Widely This Week Show Gaza Ruins. We Obtained More Recent Satellite Imagery

Earlier this week, several viral social media posts and news articles stated that Google had updated satellite imagery over Gaza. The imagery shared in these posts and articles shows several areas, including the southern city of Rafah. Huge destruction is detailed in the images, including what appears to be entire neighbourhoods flattened But the imagery wasn’t entirely new. A Google spokesperson told Bellingcat that they regularly updated third-party satellite images and that the latest Gaza imagery had actually been available since June 2026. Tomorrow's front page New satellite pictures lay