Google apps suspend Israel traffic-jam displays amid rockets from Gaza

Users of Google navigation apps in Israel are not seeing traffic jams due a precautionary suspension of that function as the country comes under rocket salvoes from Gaza and Lebanon.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment (AFP)

Though the crowd-sourced and colour-coded road congestions are temporarily absent from Google Maps and Waze, they are still being factored into the arrival-at-destination times given to users, a company spokesperson said.

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Since Hamas militants launched a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct 7, the Gaza Strip has erupted into war, with knock-on violence on the Lebanese border. Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have launched thousands of rockets at Israel.

Many of the salvoes have been focussed on residential areas, and often timed to coincide with heightened activity like rush hour.

The suspension of the traffic jam display function was “in response to recent developments, as has been done in other war zones in the past,” the Google spokesperson said.

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