Google on Monday removed from its Play Store a downloadable game called “Bomb Gaza” that simulated Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The move came after a flurry of outraged comments posted to Google’s app store review page and elsewhere. The game had been downloaded about 1,000 times since its July 29 launch, according to Britain's Guardian newspaper.
"Bomb Gaza," developed by PlayFTW, was still available Monday on Facebook. The game simulates the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which dominates the Palestinian territory. Players drop bombs from a fighter jet while dodging missiles from Hamas fighters in black and green masks. "We remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News. Google has rules that prohibit content that amounts to hate speech, bullying and violence and lets users flag abusive content. Masahable reported that Google also removed a second game, “Gaza Assault: Code Red,” which allowed users to target terrorist cells hidden within Gaza.
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