Google said on Monday that it is temporarily turning off real-time traffic information on its mapping applications, Waze and Maps, in Israel in anticipation of a possible ground incursion into Gaza.
A Google Maps representative stated, "We have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information out of consideration for the safety of local communities, as we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region."
A Google representative stated that in order to make the evaluation, the company examined a number of sources, including local and regional authorities.
Google did not specify if the tools would be inoperable in Gaza, Israel, or both. Furthermore, it did not specify if the Israel Defence Forces requested this move. The IDF has been contacted by CNN for a response.
The story was initially reported by the website Geektime.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Google took a similar action, according to Reuters. Google briefly stopped providing real-time automobile data in Ukraine.
"Anyone navigating to a specific place will still get routes and ETAs that take current traffic conditions into account," according to Google Maps.