The country name “Israel” does not currently appear on maps on popular mobile applications from leading search platform Baidu or the Alibaba-backed Amap, even though its territory and the names of neighboring countries are clearly shown in a view of the region. Countries of similar or smaller size to Israel such as Cyrpus, Lebanon and Kuwait are visible in the same view, for example.
Treading a fine line Since the Hamas attack — which killed some 1,400 people, mostly civilians — Israel has hit Hamas-controlled Gaza with weeks of air strikes and expanded ground operations in the strip. Tallies based on data from local authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave say more than 8,000 people have died, including some 3,000 children. China has criticized Israel’s response while neither naming nor explicitly condemning Hamas in its statements.