Two Israeli soldiers sparked an hour-long deadly battle in a Palestinian refugee camp which they entered, apparently by mistake, while following the popular online navigation app Waze.
In the course of a rescue operation, during which helicopters and special forces were deployed, one Palestinian was killed and four injured while 10 Israeli security personnel were wounded.
The disclosure that the soldiers were using the Israeli-developed app provoked bafflement as its default setting – which the user has to override – prevents navigation in the West Bank.
Even when security settings are altered, the app is often inaccurate in the occupied territories, leading to questions about why soldiers in a military vehicle were using it to navigate.
The two Israeli soldiers – from a military dog unit – mistakenly entered the volatile Qalandia camp in the West Bank where they were pelted with rocks and firebombs, said Israeli a military spokesman, 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.
According to media reports, the Israeli military initiated the so-called Hannibal Protocol in response to the incident, an order requiring extraordinary measures to head off the abduction of soldiers.
Waze, acquired by Google for more than $1bn in 2013, said the soldiers were at fault. “[Waze] includes a specific default setting that prevents routes through areas which are marked as dangerous or prohibited for Israelis to drive through,” the company said.
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