West Bank – Israeli troops who came under attack after raiding a volatile refugee camp north of Jerusalem early Tuesday were trying to rescue a pair of soldiers who had apparently lost their way using the popular navigation app Waze, the military said.
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Palestinian health officials say a 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed and four others were wounded in clashes that broke out amid the raid.
The two Israeli soldiers mistakenly entered the Qalandia refugee camp in the West Bank where they were pelted with rocks and firebombs, said Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Motti Almoz.
They fled after their jeep caught fire, with one escaping to a nearby Jewish settlement and the other taking cover in the yard of a Palestinian family for about an hour before he was rescued by the Israeli troops amid heavy clashes. The military said it went into emergency mode because of concerns that one of the soldiers had been abducted.
The Palestinian Red Crescent identified the killed Palestinian man as university student Eyad Sajadiyeh, saying he was shot in the head during the fighting. The Israeli military said ten security personnel were wounded.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the soldiers appeared to go astray by following Waze, the Israeli-developed global traffic app, which showed them the shortest route from Jerusalem to their destination in the West Bank. He said the incident would be investigated further to make sure such a situation would not repeat itself.
“I learned long ago, when the GPS was introduced, you can’t forget how to navigate using a map and you need to know your environment and not follow technology blindly,” Yaalon said.
Tuesday’s violence was the latest in over five months of near-daily Palestinian attacks on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis, mostly in stabbings, shootings and attacks where Palestinians used vehicles as weapons to ram into Israeli soldiers or civilians.
During the same time – since mid-September – at least 168 Palestinians have also been killed, most of them said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest died in clashes with troops.
Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement, compounded on social media sites that glorify and encourage attacks. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli rule and dwindling hopes for gaining independence.
Outrageous that Waze developed by israel led it’s israeli soldiers in to a potential near death trap! There is no excuse for Israel with all its high tech, for such an incident to take place putting the lives of its soldiers in such a position of a near massacre!
#1 and #2
we are overlooking the obvious, and that is bchasdei hashem these brave soldiers were saved. baruch hashem for the brave israelis that live in settlements. so many of us condone their actions, but let’s learn from this nes that they are living there to protect us as well. a soldier fled for his life and was no doubt helped by these incredible people. another nes is that the soldier hid in an arab yard. curious to know if the owners were home or not
in terms of waze, i personally don’t like the app. always directing you to side streets, which if traveling in urban areas, is a dangerous route to take
soldiers should be using maps and compasses like the good old days while sophisticated technology should be reserved for their phones, tank engines etc
may hkbh always protect tzahal
WAZE has taken us through Arab villages behind the wall in Jerusalem. My son was terrified, I was afraid to blink and the driver thought it was an adventure. But remember, WAZE was sold to Google. Blame them.
Roads that lead to these places don’t they have signs to warn you
Google maps is the way to go