The whole thing is grotesque and perverse.

Serious question: what was russia's use, if any, of leaflets?

I have no idea and I wonder about that too.

But the key thing to remember to tell libs is Texas and Boston. Ukraine is the size of Texas. Also Ukrainians can leave the country too. Gaza is like if Boston was besieged, Bostonians were not allowed to flee the city, and the Bostonians' evil enemy and destroyer had a very sick sense of humor: "Here are QR codes for safe zones..."

is this the first time qr codes are being dropped

It might be. In any case - Gaza is so small and Israel is such a fucking liar that even if a Gazan has working smart phone with a working battery and they can get a signal - they can't trust the information anyway.