Israel "disappears" as a state from Chinese digital maps

As the conflict in Gaza worsens, China has reportedly removed Israel from its online maps. 

Users have reported that online digital map companies - Baidu and Alibaba, have removed Israel as a state on their systems.

The incident was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. As per the WSJ report, the digital maps on Baidu show the demarcations between Israel and the Palestinian territories but don't identify the country by name.

WSJ added that the same was seen in Alibaba's Amap, where "even small countries like Luxembourg are marked clearly".

As of now, the companies have not responded as to why Israel was removed from the maps.

The reasons behind this ambiguity have also been linked to China's vague stand on the IsraelHamas War.

In a phone call between Chines Foreign Minister wang Yi and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, Beijing backs Israel's right to defend itself after the October 7, 2023, attacks.

However, the foreign minister reiterated that self-defence must be done within the boundaries of international humanitarian law.

When the war broke out on October 7, 2023, China did not publicly condemn the Hamas attacks but asked both sides to work urgently to restore peace and safeguard civilians.

China also reiterated its support for the two-state solution and stated that the only solution to this conflict would be the create an independent Palestinian state.