- Israel's name is omitted on digital maps by Chinese tech companies, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- Both Baidu and Alibaba show the borders of Israel, but do not name it, it said.
- The report comes after China voiced its support for a ceasefire.
Israel's name is conspicuously absent from maps on the Chinese internet, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Internet users in China observed that Chinese tech companies Alibaba and Baidu removed the name Israel from their online maps despite still showing its internationally recognized borders, the report said.
The maps also show Palestinian territories, and key cities as well as the names of nearby countries including Cyprus, Jordan, and Iraq, according to the Journal.
It is unclear whether the development is new, but Chinese internet users have been discussing the change since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead, the report said.
Spokespeople for Alibaba and Baidu did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.
But in a statement to The Telegraph, Baidu spokesman Jing Meng denied deliberately omitting Israel from the platform's maps.
"Where space is limited, our maps may not display the names or flags of some territories," he told The Telegraph.
"Users can find corresponding countries or areas on Baidu Maps by simply using the map's search function," he added.
China has a history of advocating for a two-state solution that allows for an independent Palestinian state, according to the Associated Press.
In the weeks after the war broke out, Xi's inner circle has continued this stance, calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian support for the Palestinian people.
Beijing declined to condemn Hamas but said it was against all forms of attacks against civilians.
Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, told an advisor to the Brazilian president in a phone call last week that "the crux of the matter is that justice has not been done to the Palestinian people," AP reported.
"This conflict once again proved in an extremely tragic manner that the way to solve the Palestinian issue lies in resuming genuine peace talks as soon as possible and realizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation," Wang added.
Meanwhile, China's Middle East envoy Zhai Jun told Palestinian and Egyptian officials that the country "has no selfish interests on the Palestinian issue but has always stood on the side of peace, on the side of fairness and justice," according to AP.
But social media users in China have been less diplomatic, according to Insider's Matthew Loh, who wrote that a wave of antisemitic posts toward Israel have emerged on the country's online platforms.
In one of the most viral posts on the social media site Weibo, support for Palestinians is clear. "Normal people will support Palestine. It's evident that Palestine is fighting for survival. It is almost at the end of the line," said one of the top posts, according to a report by state media agency Xinhua.
"Israel can win the war with the support of the United States, but it will never get the support of the world's righteous people," another person wrote.