Did Apple Maps replace satellite imagery of Gaza destruction with old photos? What we know

As Israel’s war on Gaza played a crucial role in some 2026 U.S. midterm election candidates’ campaigns, a claim circulated online that Apple Maps had replaced current satellite imagery of Gaza with outdated imagery showing buildings still intact.

In the more than three years since militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has decimated Gaza’s landscape and reportedly killed upwards of 74,000 people in what the United Nations has deemed a genocide. Social media users accused Apple Maps of “whitewashing” a genocide by presenting an inaccurate picture of the situation in Gaza.

One X post read, “Apple putting all the destroyed buildings back in Gaza on Maps isn’t just wrong to do because it’s an inaccurate depiction, it’s terrifying. If a company with as much notoriety and influence as Apple wants to whitewash a genocide, what’s next? Shame on you, Apple.” Other posts expressed similar sentiments.

Although users claimed Apple had intentionally “replaced” current satellite imagery to make buildings appear they way they used to, this claim is unfounded. We did not find proof (such as a screenshot of Apple Maps imagery of Gaza showing the updated landscape) that Apple had updated the imagery at any point since at least October 2023, if not before. 

As of this writing, Apple Maps imagery of Gaza is outdated compared to other services, such as Google Maps, but it has historically lagged in certain regions.

We did not find evidence that Apple Maps publicly dates its satellite imagery, but it’s likely the imagery available as of this writing predates October 2023. We compared the current Apple Maps imagery to Google Earth imagery from August 2023 and October 2023, and some buildings that were destroyed by October 2023 still appear standing on Apple Maps.

(Apple Maps and Google Earth, Snopes illustration.)

We reached out to some of the social media users who circulated the claim, and they responded that they did not have definitive proof Apple had intentionally swapped out its imagery.

It’s possible that the claim originated on a parody account. An X post (archived) from Nov. 1 by user @RabbiJeffx read: “JUST IN: Apple Maps has put all the buildings back in Gaza, because the easiest solution to a genocide is to pretend it isn’t happening. Image on the right is from Google, showing the current reality.” The user’s bio describes itself as a parody account for memes and satire. We reached out to the account to ask if it was the origin of the claim and will update this story if we hear back.

Users have long noted the lack of Apple Maps’ availability certain regions. We previously reported on Apple Maps’ lack of updated global coverage when social media users claimed Apple Maps had removed the names of small towns and villages in Lebanon from its coverage amid Israel’s bombing the small country to its north.

Snopes contacted Apple seeking information regarding its coverage of Gaza and did not immediately hear back. We will update this article if we receive a response.

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