Recently, ESRI World Imagery updated to include imagery from early 2025 in Gaza. Now, for the first time since the conflict escalated in October 2023, it is possible to update OSM using open satellite imagery to reflect the many features in Gaza that are destroyed or no longer standing.

If you are updating OSM in Gaza, please follow OSM lifecycle prefix conventions:

• For features (buildings, roads, etc) that are destroyed or severely damaged, please use the demolished lifecycle prefix: for example https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:demolished:building=yes or https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:demolished:highway=residential. This prefix is most appropriate in Gaza.
• A similar but alternative ‘destroyed’ prefix is only used for features that were destroyed by an event other than intentional demolition, such as a natural disaster. So this is most likely not appropriate in Gaza.
• Please do not delete: It is only appropriate to delete a feature if there is absolutely no trace of the original feature, and the land has been repurposed. Note that in many/all cases it will not be possible to tell if there is no trace of an object from satellite imagery, so features should be updated with a lifecycle prefix, and not deleted. See nonexistent features for more information. Eventually, if structures are rebuilt and no trace is confirmed, then deletion may become appropriate.

For now, it is important to avoid deleting features and use appropriate lifecycle tags in order to retain data OSM. In 2024, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team mapped all pre-conflict buildings in Gaza. If you need to access the full pre-conflict dataset, you can still access the data on HDX.

Thank you for the dedication in OSM, and Gaza.