As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies, Google has opted to disable access to live traffic conditions in Israel on its Google Maps and Waze mapping services.
The shift in patterns comes as many expect the ground invasion of Gaza to begin any day.
“In response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information out of consideration for the safety of local communities,” a Google spokesperson told Coins2Day.
While live traffic conditions will not be shown, Google says that the apps will still assist drivers with step-by-step directions that take current traffic conditions into account. ETAs on the apps will also incorporate traffic data.
This isn’t the first time Google has limited visibility on traffic conditions. Last year, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the company temporarily disabled the real-time data. (It’s unclear if it has returned.)
Google did not clarify if the apps would also disable traffic data in Gaza.
The war in the Middle East has already claimed thousands of lives and threatens to become a much bloodier affair—turning into a broader regional conflict. The thinking behind the shielding of traffic information is it limits Hamas’s ability to target areas with a density of potential targets.
Over 1,300 Israelis lost their lives on Oct. 7, mostly civilians. Hundreds more were killed in an attack on a Gaza hospital that was the result of a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket, according to Israeli and U.S. Officials.
