Israel's Military Expansion of "Legitimate" Targets

Since the war in Gaza began in October 2022, the Israeli military has expanded the criteria for "legitimate" military targets. This decision led to a significant increase in civilian casualties among Palestinians in Gaza.

• Previously, the Israeli military had a smaller list of "human targets" – senior-ranking commanders in Hamas or Islamic Jihad's military wings – whose houses could be bombed, risking civilian casualties.
• After October 7th, higher authorities decided to mark all individuals associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad's military wings as "human targets," regardless of their age or military importance.
• This unprecedented decision posed a technical challenge as the military needed to identify and track tens of thousands of individuals in real-time.

Reliance on AI and Automation for Targeting

To handle the expanded list of potential targets, the Israeli military turned to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools like the program "Lavender."

• Lavender marked 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza as suspected militants, with minimal human oversight.
• The AI systems made errors, incorrectly identifying civilians as militants, leading to the bombing of their homes.
• Sources claim the military knew that thousands of civilians were wrongly identified as militants but proceeded with the bombings.

Lack of Accountability and Civilian Casualties

Despite the high civilian toll, the Israeli military has shown little accountability for potential war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.

• In the 2014 Gaza war, over 500 Palestinian children were killed, but only three soldiers were indicted for looting.
• Sources reveal that for low-ranking militants, the military was allowed to kill up to 15 civilians in bombings, while for senior commanders, the number could exceed 100.
• Commanders on the ground allegedly authorized high civilian casualty numbers without reporting to the military's international law department.

International Scrutiny and Investigations

The Israeli military's actions in Gaza are facing increased scrutiny from international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

• Israeli leaders fear potential intervention from these courts if Israel fails to conduct its own investigations into alleged war crimes and policies that led to civilian deaths.
• The military may present its own investigations to these courts to avoid external intervention, but sources suggest genuine accountability is unlikely.

Investigative Reporting and Anonymous Sources

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham has been reporting extensively on the Israeli military's conduct in Gaza, relying on anonymous sources within the intelligence community.

• Abraham's sources were drafted into the military after October 7th and had first-hand experience using AI targeting systems like Lavender.
• Some sources expressed criticism of the policies they were asked to implement, leading to civilian deaths they witnessed.
• Unlike career intelligence officials in other countries, Israel's mandatory military service means there are more potential whistleblowers.

Challenges in Reporting and Censorship

Abraham's reporting has faced challenges, including censorship and lack of follow-up from other media outlets.

• Under Israeli law, all reporting on intelligence issues must be vetted by the military censor, who can redact or block publication.
• Self-censorship among Israeli journalists, unwilling to critically report on the Gaza conflict, is a more significant barrier.
• International media have shown growing interest, but much of the Israeli media has largely avoided critical coverage of Gaza.

Personal Experiences and Risks

Abraham's work has also brought personal risks and accusations of antisemitism.

• After calling for a ceasefire in his Berlin Film Festival speech, Abraham and his family in Israel received death threats.
• German politicians accused Abraham's speech of being antisemitic, despite his family's history of persecution in the Holocaust.
• Abraham argues that weaponizing the term "antisemitism" to silence criticism of Israel undermines efforts to identify and combat genuine antisemitism.

Future Investigations and Unanswered Questions

Abraham plans to continue investigating the Israeli military's use of AI targeting systems and the impact on Palestinian civilians.

• Key questions remain about the identities of civilians wrongly identified as militants by the AI systems.
• Further investigation is needed into who authorized the protocols that led to the widespread targeting of civilian households.
• As long as the conflict continues, there is a risk of these AI systems being used on a similar scale, leading to more civilian casualties.