Israel's AI-Driven Strategy Unveiled in Targeting Gaza's Civilian Sites

Conducted by Israeli media outlets, outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call, the probe revealed an expanded authorization for strikes, looser constraints on civilian casualties, and a sophisticated AI system labeled a "mass assassination factory."

This approach, deemed a factor in the current war's devastating impact, marks a concerning shift in the nature and scope of Israel's atrocities within Gaza.

According to the investigation, the authorization for striking non-military targets expanded, coupled with a looser approach toward expected civilian casualties, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify a wider array of targets, labeled by one source as a "mass assassination factory."

The report stated, "The Israeli army’s expanded authorization for bombing non-military targets, the loosening of constraints regarding expected civilian casualties, and the use of an artificial intelligence system to generate more potential targets than ever before, appear to have contributed to the destructive nature of the initial stages of Israel’s current war on the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli sources cited unspecified sources as saying that the occupation military intelligence approved actions resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians in an attempt to target a Hamas military commander.

Compared to past assaults, the investigation highlighted a significant increase in targeting "non-military targets," encompassing private residences, infrastructure, and high-rise blocks all defined as "power targets."

“The numbers increased from dozens of civilian deaths [permitted] as collateral damage as part of an attack on a senior official in previous operations, to hundreds of civilian deaths as collateral damage,” one source told the outlets.

The joint investigation underlined that another reason for the large number of targets and the extensive harm to civilian life in Gaza was the widespread use of Hasbora, an AI system that can generate targets at a far faster rate than before and had contributed significantly to a very high civilian death toll.

The sources said AI allowed the Israeli military to carry out strikes on residential homes on a massive scale, even merely to target a junior Hamas member.

“Nothing happens by accident,” another source told +972 Mag and Local Call. “When a three-year-old girl is killed in a home in Gaza, it’s because someone in the army decided it wasn’t a big deal for her to be killed - that it was a price worth paying in order to hit [another] target."

The source said that this place may be a "spokesperson’s office, or a point where operatives meet," adding, "I understood that the floor is an excuse that allows the army to cause a lot of destruction in Gaza."

Another source said, “There is a feeling that senior officials in the army are aware of their failure on October 7, and are busy with the question of how to provide the Israeli public with an image [of victory] that will salvage their reputation.”

In the past two months, media reports have starkly highlighted the tragic toll of Israeli bombings on Palestinian families, revealing a staggering statistic: over 300 Palestinian families have endured the loss of 10 or more members due to these airstrikes. This number stands as a grim comparison, being 15 times higher than the casualties witnessed during what was previously deemed Israel's deadliest conflict in Gaza back in 2014.

The conflict escalated on October 7 when Israel initiated the war on Gaza in response to Al-Aqsa Storm operation led by Hamas-led Palestinian resistance group. This came as a reply to the enduring cycle of oppression and devastation Palestinians have faced under the Israeli regime for decades.

Furthermore, Tel Aviv's atrocities exacerbated the situation by cutting off vital supplies like water, food, and electricity to Gaza, creating a severe humanitarian crisis in the coastal region. The devastating consequence of this conflict is reflected in the tragic loss of over 15,500 Palestinian lives, predominantly women and children, in the relentless Israeli airstrikes.