An Spanish-speaking Israeli family on Saturday night accidentally entered the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah.
Miraculously, they escaped without harm.
Channel 2 reported that initial investigations show the family lost their way while using Waze. The family - a grandmother, grandfather, and three children - accidentally crossed the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem, and found themselves in an area controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The mistake occurred despite the fact that there are large red signs in Hebrew and English, put in place by Israel to alert and warn drivers at the entrance to every Palestinian Authority-controlled area.
When the family realized their mistake, they called the police, who directed them for several long minutes, showing them the way back to the main road.
The person speaking to the police was a seven-year-old boy.
At the same time, IDF and Civil Administration forces were sent to secure the family.
After several long minutes, the family met Civil Administration officers at the Al-Ram Checkpoint. Both Civil Administration and IDF officers checked the family, and accompanied them back to Jerusalem.
This is not the first time Waze has led unsuspecting users into dangerous areas. In 2016, four soldiers accidentally entered the PA-controlled town of Halhul, near Hevron, when they were misdirected by Waze. They were rescued without incident.
However, two soldiers accidentally entering Jenin earlier this month were assaulted by a mob attempting to break into their car. Their vehicle was pelted by rocks, several windows were smashed, and both soldiers were injured. Initial reports show that the soldiers entered Jenin after being led astray by Waze.
Waze claims that "the app has a designated default setting that prevents navigation through areas marked as dangerous or prohibited to Israelis." In each incident, the drivers had failed to activate it.
In 2000, before the existence of Waze, two Israeli immigrant IDF soldiers accidentally driving into Ramallah were barbarically murdered in the Arab-controlled police station, while a large mob gathered outside calling for their death.