Israel accidentally exposes Gaza military bases and widespread destruction on official map

Israel’s mapping service briefly publishes high-resolution satellite imagery of Gaza before blurring it again An Israeli artillery position in the north of Gaza (GovMap) Published date: 25 September 2026 14:03 BST | Last update: 9 sec ago Israel’s official public mapping service briefly published high-resolution satellite imagery revealing military installations and extensive destruction across northern Gaza - a rare lapse in the state’s tight control over wartime visuals. The error on GovMap was noticed on Monday by an X account called @Stinky915846091, which is dedicated to open-source intelligence and frequently geolocates incidents in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the Israeli government has resumed blurring all of Gaza on its official website. GovMap has historically blurred the entire Gaza Strip, as well as military bases and other sensitive sites inside Israel and the occupied West Bank, making the brief appearance of unblurred imagery highly unusual. The unblurred imagery covered parts of northern Gaza, including the cities of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, among the neighbourhoods most heavily destroyed during the Israeli genocide that began in October 2023. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The images date from 2025 and do not necessarily represent the current status of the military bases, but they do show widespread destruction and at least 11 Israeli army sites inside the military’s buffer zone. Another X user, @Nrg8000, backed up the imagery and posted it at Soar Atlas. Middle East Eye could not independently verify the images, but they concur with previous reports documenting the extent of Israeli military presence in the war‑torn territory and the scale of destruction. Israel's forces have killed at least 73,928 Palestinians and wounded more than 175,030 since the start of its genocide in Gaza in October 2023, including 1,408 dead and more than 4,916 wounded since the October ceasefire last year. Meanwhile, independent assessments have found that more than 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023, including homes, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure. The following are some of the briefly uncensored images showing the destruction in Gaza and Israeli military bases: Destruction in Beit Hanoun Israeli attacks have hit Beit Hanoun, in the far north of the Gaza Strip, particularly hard, with entire blocks reduced to rubble. Israel has also ethnically cleansed the city of most of its population and turned it into a military zone. Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza (GovMap) Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza (GovMap) Destruction in Shujaiya Similar scenes of devastation can be seen Shujaiya, a neighbourhood of Gaza City, where most of the buildings, roads and all signs of life have been obliterated. Shujaiya, northern Gaza (GovMap) Shujaiya, northern Gaza (GovMap) Deployment at the Karni crossing The images show a heavy Israeli military presence in the Karni crossing area, southeast of the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City, which Israel has used as a forward base for deeper attacks into the strip. An Israeli military base at the Karni crossing, northern Gaza (GovMap) Military base in East Jabalia The Israeli army can be seen surrounded by earth barriers and a large deployment of military vehicles in East Jabalia. East Jabalia, Gaza (GovMap) Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.