It has been reported that some locations in Israel have been omitted from online maps on some websites in China. The omissions appear to be in relation to the ongoing conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The websites in question include Baidu Maps, the country’s largest mapping service. Other sites, such as AutoNavi, have also removed certain parts of Israel.
The omissions are believed to be part of a larger effort by the Chinese government to censor information related to the conflict, although it is unclear whether the maps have been removed at the behest of the government or on the initiative of the map companies.
The Israeli government has expressed concern over the omissions. A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry said that the ministry was in contact with Beijing and hoped that the “situation would be resolved in keeping with principles of freedom of information”.
