How Does the IDF Warn Civilians Before Strikes in Gaza?
Over 15 million texts, over 12 million pre-recorded calls and over 4.5 million leaflets to 8 December 2023, on the Foreign Ministry’s count of Israel’s own.
The Israel Defense Forces had sent over 15 million text messages, made over 12 million pre-recorded phone calls and airdropped over 4.5 million leaflets urging civilians in Gaza to leave areas of hostilities by 8 December 2023, on counts the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published as Israel’s own. The same Ministry paper counts over 45,000 individual phone calls to people in areas of hostilities and at individual targets. For the 2014 conflict, the Ministry’s report dated May 2015 states that the IDF gave specific warnings before more than a thousand attacks on individual targets, its own count.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 15 million | Text messages urging civilians to leave areas of hostilities and individual targets, Israel’s own count, a floor | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cumulative to 8 December 2023 |
| Over 12 million | Pre-recorded phone calls, Israel’s own count, a floor | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cumulative to 8 December 2023 |
| Over 4.5 million | Leaflets airdropped, Israel’s own count, a floor | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cumulative to 8 December 2023 |
| Over 45,000 | Individual phone calls urging people to leave areas of hostilities and individual targets, Israel’s own count, a floor | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cumulative to 8 December 2023 |
| 12 October 2023 | Date from which the IDF urged civilians to leave northern Gaza temporarily | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | From 12 October 2023 |
| More than a thousand | Attacks on individual targets preceded by a specific warning, typically by phone, the IDF’s own count | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | 7 July to 26 August 2014 |
| 630 | Sectors in the IDF’s layered map of Gaza, each with a continuous assessment of the population present, the IDF’s own account | Israel Defense Forces presentation, supplied to IsraelFact | Undated presentation |
| 7 | Numbered blocks addressed by an IDF evacuation warning the presentation reproduces, directed to a shelter in Deir al-Balah | Israel Defense Forces presentation, supplied to IsraelFact | Undated presentation |
The IDF warned through texts, calls, leaflets and broadcasts
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in its FAQ updated to 8 December 2023 that the IDF encouraged civilians “to temporarily evacuate from areas of intensive hostilities and from individual targets,” and that its messages “often include detailed information as to when to evacuate (including from specific areas and individual targets), the safe routes to be used, and where aid may be obtained.” The channels it lists, Israel’s own account:
- Text messages, over 15 million
- Pre-recorded phone calls, over 12 million
- Leaflets airdropped, over 4.5 million
- Individual phone calls, over 45,000
- Messages on social media, radio and TV in Gaza
- Communication with international organizations on the ground in Gaza
A numbered map divided Gaza by neighbourhood
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the IDF uses “a detailed map of Gaza, with designated numbers for specific neighborhoods,” shared “with the public in Gaza and with international organizations on the ground in order to create a ‘common language’ directly with the civilian population.” The Ministry’s FAQ describes the mechanism behind it, on its own account:
| Element | What the Ministry states |
|---|---|
| The unit | The “Civilian Harm Mitigation Unit”, of “senior IDF commanders, intelligence officers, Arabic speaking soldiers, legal advisors and other professionals” |
| Monitoring | It “constantly monitors in real time the implementation of these evacuation recommendations,” including through open-source tools and intelligence |
| Distribution | Through radio and TV in Gaza, airdropped leaflets, international organizations, social media and text messages, because “communications in Gaza is intermittent” |
| Use | The IDF “provides information to Gazans where to evacuate, on what routes and where shelters may be accessed, in advance of intensified operations” |
The Ministry’s paper does not state how many numbered areas the map carries. The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact, describes a layered map that divides Gaza into 630 sectors, and calls it a “common language” tool as well.
The IDF’s presentation divides Gaza into 630 sectors
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, states that Southern Command built “a layered map which divides Gaza into 630 sectors” and made continuous assessments “of the population presence that is there” in each. The presentation is the IDF’s own account of its procedure. Its slide 10 states:
- The team was “led by a Brigadier General, and made up of intelligence experts, Arabists, legal advisers, OSINT specialists and more”, to “assess the overall presence of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip”
- The team maintained “contact with key communal leaders in those sectors”
- Internally, the map made forces “aware of civilian presence in each sector”, and of “critical civilian sites such as shelters”
- Externally, it served as “a ‘common language’ tool” to convey “precisely where the IDF intends to operate and where are the safer regions”
- Its features reached Gaza’s population through “the millions of leaflets, phone calls, and text messages which have been disseminated by the IDF since the start of the war”
An IDF leaflet directs 7 numbered blocks to a shelter in Deir al-Balah
An IDF evacuation warning reproduced in the same presentation, in Arabic with an English translation beside it, addresses 7 numbered blocks in 5 Gaza neighbourhoods and directs those present to “the known shelter in Deir al-Balah”. The leaflet is the IDF’s own, and it carries a map of the blocks and a QR code. Its translation, as printed on slide 13:
| Line on the leaflet | The translation’s words |
|---|---|
| Heading | “Urgent warning” |
| Addressees | Blocks 2348, 2325, 2347, 662, 2322, 2324 and 2326 in the Al-Shuhadaa, Ain Jaulut and Al-Farouq, Al-Salam, Yarmouk and Bisan neighbourhoods |
| The danger | “The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone!” |
| The instruction | “For your safety, the IDF appeals to you immediately evacuate from this area and go to the known shelter in Deir al-Balah” |
| The close | “He who was warned was exused [sic]!” |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, “Process of target attack”, slide 13, supplied to IsraelFact. The leaflet carries no date.
A redacted IDF target card makes approval conditional on a warning
A target card in the IDF’s presentation, marked “Top Secret” and redacted as supplied to IsraelFact, records a legal review marked “Conditional” on “the provision of an effective advance warning”. The card is one example, not a count, and its warning boxes read as follows:
| Warning box on the card | As shown |
|---|---|
| Individual warning to civilians in the target | Ticked |
| Individual warning to civilians in surrounding structures | Not ticked |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, “Process of target attack”, slide 15, supplied to IsraelFact with names, dates and the target ID blacked out. The presentation’s decision flow on slide 18 also carries a box headed “Warning Considerations”.
The 2014 report describes 3 kinds of warning
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ report on the 2014 conflict, dated May 2015, states that the IDF issued “general warnings” to stay away from sites of combat activity, “regional warnings in areas where it expected to undertake attacks or significant operations,” and “highly specific warnings to particular buildings, households and persons.” The counts below are the IDF’s own, from that report.
| Warning in 2014 | What the Ministry states |
|---|---|
| Beit Lahiya, 13 July 2014 | 10,000 leaflets at 07:00, pre-recorded mass calls between 6:15 and 9:15, and another 10,000 leaflets in the early afternoon |
| Shuja’iyeh, before the ground operation | Phone calls, radio and television broadcasts, and over 150,000 leaflets |
| Shuja’iyeh, the manoeuvre | Delayed “for more than 24 hours in order to facilitate further evacuations” |
| Individual targets | Specific warnings before “more than a thousand attacks” |
What is roof knocking?
Roof knocking is the firing of “a low-explosive projectile at the target’s roof” to “give civilians in or near the target a last opportunity to seek safety before an attack,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in its May 2015 report. The report states the IDF used it “in certain instances where warnings were unheeded or unfeasible,” and calls it “a progressive precaution that went beyond the requirements of international law.” The report gives no count of roof knocks, and none appears in the Ministry’s 2023 papers read here.
When does the IDF not give a warning?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in its Key Legal Aspects paper, updated to 2 November 2023, that where circumstances do not permit a warning, “such as when the strike is aimed at a militant who may exploit the warning to escape, or when there is insufficient time to provide a warning,” there is “no legal requirement to do so.” The situations the Ministry names, and what follows a warning, on Israel’s own account:
- A target who “would escape if warned”, or a warning that “would compromise the safety of attacking forces” (2014 report, paragraph 308)
- Too little time, for example “when an enemy attack is imminent” (November 2023 paper)
- After a warning, “the IDF does not assume that there are no civilians in areas or sites where advance warnings had been given” (November 2023 paper)
Where these figures come from
The 2023 counts are Israel’s own, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the IDF, cumulative to 8 December 2023, and each is a floor. They count four channels and may not be added into a number of warnings or of people warned. The 2014 figures describe the 2014 conflict only. No later cumulative count appears in the IDF and Ministry publications read here. The presentation is the IDF’s own account, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, and neither it nor the leaflet it reproduces carries a date; the 630 counts map sectors, not people.
Questions readers ask
How many text messages has the IDF sent to Gaza?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the IDF had sent over 15 million text messages urging civilians to leave areas of hostilities by 8 December 2023, Israel’s own count.
How many leaflets has the IDF dropped?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the IDF had airdropped over 4.5 million leaflets by 8 December 2023, Israel’s own count and a floor.
Does the IDF phone people before a strike?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs counts over 12 million pre-recorded calls and over 45,000 individual calls by 8 December 2023, Israel’s own count.
When did the IDF tell civilians to leave northern Gaza?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the IDF has urged civilians to evacuate northern Gaza temporarily since 12 October 2023.
What is the Civilian Harm Mitigation Unit?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes it as a unit of senior IDF commanders, intelligence officers, Arabic speakers and legal advisers that maintains the evacuation map and monitors it in real time.
What does a warning message say?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that IDF messages often give when to evacuate, the safe routes and where aid may be obtained.
Does the IDF always warn before a strike?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that no warning is legally required when a target might escape or when there is insufficient time, in its November 2023 paper.
If people stay after a warning, does the IDF treat the building as empty?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that “the IDF does not assume that there are no civilians in areas or sites where advance warnings had been given.”
How many roof knocks has the IDF carried out?
No count of roof knocks appears in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ May 2015 report or its 2023 papers read here.
How many specific warnings did the IDF give in 2014?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the IDF gave specific warnings before more than a thousand attacks on individual targets in 2014, the IDF’s own count.
How many sectors does the IDF’s map of Gaza have?
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact, states that its layered map divides Gaza into 630 sectors, each with a continuous assessment of the population present.
What does an IDF evacuation leaflet say?
A leaflet reproduced in the IDF’s presentation tells those in 7 numbered blocks that “The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone!” and to go “to the known shelter in Deir al-Balah”.
Are these counts current?
The counts run to 8 December 2023, and the IDF republished the Ministry’s paper on its own site on 15 December 2023.
Sources
- Israel Defense Forces, 2023. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The War Against Hamas: Answering Your Most Pressing Questions. 15 December 2023. idf.il. Official or primary record, republishing the Ministry’s paper.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. “Process of target attack”, a presentation on targeting and civilians, slides 10, 11, 13, 15 and 18. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own account of its procedure.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2015. The 2014 Gaza Conflict: Factual and Legal Aspects, Chapter VI: IDF Conduct of Operations During the 2014 Gaza Conflict. Dated May 2015, released 14 June 2015. gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023. Hamas-Israel Conflict 2023: Frequently Asked Questions. Updated to 8 December 2023; republished by the IDF on idf.il, 15 December 2023. gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023. Hamas-Israel Conflict 2023: Key Legal Aspects. Updated to 2 November 2023. gov.il. Official or primary record.
