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by petra 1861 days ago
High-resolution maps could be used by militaries, for example, when targeting. Maybe it's just a way to stay out of the conflict.
1 comments

The military (ours and others) have their own overhead imagery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofeq
According to [1] only 19 countries have military satellites. It's really difficult to hide a satellite launch but even if you assume the real number is twice that due to secrecy, that is very few countries and chances are none of them are particularly friendly with Hamas or Fatah.

Their useful not just for targeting but for tactics, strategy, and logistics. Even having access to freely available satellite imagery is a huge benefit to under-equipped armies and militias. Without them, effective warfare against a modern style military like Israel's, that depends on an independent command structure and rapid movement, is practically impossible without devolving into an insurgency. Hamas/Fatah likely have the resources to pay for a few commercial satellite shots using middlemen from sympathetic countries for up to date data for major offensives, but those shots often cost in the hundreds or thousands of dollars per sq mile. For day to day planning, even civilian imagery that updates once a year or two would be invaluable.

[1] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-by-number-of-m...