IDF says evacuation map warning Palestinians to flee unsafe areas 'not perfect' but is the 'best thing we can do'

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week published a map of Gaza dividing the Strip into different zones to help Palestinians avoid active combat zones. However, IDF has now admitted that the system is not perfect but is “the best thing" they could do. On Friday, the Israeli military dropped leaflets containing QR codes linked to the online map that divides Gaza into hundreds of zones. Talking to CNN, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said, “We’re trying to reach out to Palestinians.” He added, “We’re trying to inform them ahead of time where fighting is going to be in order for them to be able to take precautions and move from where there is going to be fighting. I don’t know how else we can square that circle of defeating Hamas where Hamas is and minimizing civilian casualties.” Since last week, IDF has been using the interactive map to warn Palestinians in specific areas to evacuate when the Israeli military’s operation expands into the Gaza Strip’s north, instead of ordering mass evacuation as it did in the north. Meanwhile, Israeli forces pressed ahead with their air and ground bombardment of the southern Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, even as the United States and the United Nations repeatedly urged them to protect civilians.

Asked on Monday about the mounting death toll since a truce collapsed between Israel and Hamas on Friday, Israel’s closest ally the United States said it was too soon to say whether Israel was doing enough to protect civilians and that it expected Israel not to strike zones it has identified as safe.

With inputs from agencies