Gaza evacuation warnings from IDF confusing, contain many errors - BBC analysis

Evacuation warnings issued by the IDF to Gazan civilians ahead of attacks were confusing and contained a significant number of errors, a BBC analysis published on Friday showed.

The BBC analyzed warnings issued after December 1, when the IDF implemented its block warning system, and found that at least 17 out of the 26 warnings issued contained inconsistencies or errors.

The main issues highlighted centered around IDF warnings not complying with the IDF's own block warning system.

The block warning system divides the Gaza Strip into numbered blocks from which the IDF is supposed to be able to warn and evacuate civilians precisely. 

Confusion and errors

The main errors and inconsistencies the BBC found were 12 warnings in which blocks or neighborhoods were listed in the text of the post but not highlighted on the accompanying map, and nine in which areas were highlighted on the map but not listed in the text.

They also found ten warnings in which the evacuation zone shaded on the map cut blocks in two, potentially causing confusion, and seven in which arrows on the map that were supposed to point to areas of "safety" actually pointed to areas also under evacuation.

In others, the warning listed neighborhoods as being in one district when they were actually in another; others mixed up the neighborhoods' block numbers, and in a third, some blocks listed in the text were on the opposite side of Gaza to those highlighted on the map.

#عاجل سكان قطاع غزة وخاصة سكان مخيم البريج جيش الدفاع يعمل بقوة ضد حماس والمنظمات الإرهابية. فيما يلي عدة تعليمات عاجلة: ⭕️الى سكان مخيم البريج وأحياء بدر والساحل الشمالي والنزهة والزهراء والبراق والروضة والصفاء في المناطق جنوب وادي غزة: من أجل سلامتكم عليكم الانتقال بشكل فوري… pic.twitter.com/jEvvwzG5Ts

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 22, 2023

The BBC also highlighted a few cases where the mistakes led to confusion for several Gaza residents; in one case, the block was completely mislabeled and was, in fact, six separate blocks on the master map.

In another case, accessing the map online was extremely difficult due to the lack of electricity and required contacting someone outside of Gaza to check for them. This was made more difficult due to the mislabeled map which was posted for that evacuation.