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Israel’s military uses an AI system to find Hamas targets.
It has increased acceptance of more civilian deaths, sources warn.
– The machine did it cold-heartedly, says an intelligence officer to the magazine +972 Magazine.
Six intelligence officers have told the magazine +972 Magazine about the AI system called Lavender developed by the Israeli military (IDF).
The system is used to identify Hamas targets in Gaza, but it has created an indifference among those using it, the sources describe.
In the first weeks of the war, the military was authorized to kill 15 to 20 civilians in a Lavender-coordinated airstrike against a low-ranking Hamas or Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant, they say. For a high-ranking target, the defensible number of Palestinian civilians killed must be higher, over 100 people. The calculations are described as having gone up and down during the war.
“Simplified”
An officer who used Lavender says the IDF trusts statistics more than grieving soldiers.
– Everyone, including me, lost someone on October 7. The machine did it cold-heartedly. And it simplified.
In addition, the IDF often uses so-called “dumb bombs”, unguided pieces, which make the attacks more indiscriminate.
– You don’t want to waste expensive bombs on unimportant people – it is expensive for the country and there is a shortage of such bombs, an officer told the magazine.
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full screen Seven international aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on April 2, drawing widespread attention around the world. Photo: Ismael Abu Dayyah / TT News Agency
“Bomb what you can”
Lavender was developed before October 7, but is said to have been given a central role early in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The sources describe to +972 Magazine that they were pressured to find new targets.
– We were told: “now we have to ‘fuck up’ Hamas, it doesn’t matter what the cost is.” Bomb what you can”.
According to the sources, this has led to a broadening of the definition of what constitutes a goal.
Before the war, Hamas’ military branch was estimated to consist of between 25,000 and 30,000 individuals. Lavender is said to have identified 37,000 Palestinians with Hamas links, and singled out civil defense personnel, police and others in Gaza who certainly maintain Hamas rule, but have not previously been judged to pose a danger.
Easier to bomb home
The combination of the system and the dummy bombs explains the high death toll in Gaza, according to experts such as The Guardian spoken to.
That lower-ranked targets are often attacked in their homes is also stated as a reason.
– We were not interested in killing Hamas members only when they were in military buildings or involved in military activity. It is much easier to bomb a family home, says an officer.
Deliberately attacking civilians can constitute war crimes.
The IDF states in a statement that it follows the principle of proportionalityinfoclosethe principle of proportionalityAccording to international humanitarian law, the precautionary principle and the principle of proportionality apply in war. This means that every attack must be designed in a way that limits civilian damage as much as possible, and that “information systems” are used as a tool, but that these do not judge who is a terrorist.
FACT Background
Six months have passed since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel in what is being called the worst massacre of Jews in modern times.
Over 1,100 people, mainly Israelis, were killed and 240 people were kidnapped. Over 130 of them are still believed to be with Hamas in Gaza.
The military invasion that Israel launched shortly afterwards against the Gaza Strip – with the aim of exterminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages – has been very bloody. By Palestinians it is called a new Nakba, catastrophe, just like the expulsion of Palestinians that took place in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
According to the Hamas-controlled health department in Gaza, over 33,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli attacks, the majority of them women and children. Over 75,000 have been injured.
The UN has also warned that famine is imminent.
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