Amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, Google has disabled the live traffic conditions in Israel and Gaza on its Maps and Waze apps on Tuesday. According to the sources, the move has come as Israel is widely anticipated to embark on a ground invasion into Gaza.As per statement by one of the spokespersons of Google, “As we have done previously in conflict situations and 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.”“Anyone navigating to a specific place will still get routes and ETAs that take current traffic conditions into account,” he added.The Google spokesperson further said that they are working with the local authorities as a part of ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. However, Israel has commented on the move yet.Similarly, Google disabled the maps last year, during the Russia-Ukraine war.GeekTime, Israeli tech site was the first one to report the restriction in Google Maps. The report added that Apple Incs Maps app also complied with the Israeli army request.Notably, more than 1,400 people have lost their lives in Israel since the war began, mostly civilians killed in the initial Hamas attack. Apart from this, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza has informed that over 4,300 Palestinians have been killed so far.
