The Israeli military's airstrikes in Gaza utilized a previously undisclosed AI-powered database, dubbed Lavender, which reportedly identified 37,000 alleged targets linked to the Palestinian Resistance, according to intelligence sources familiar with the ongoing aggression.

These sources also unmasked that Israeli military officials authorized the killing of a significant number of Palestinian civilians, particularly in the initial weeks and months of the genocide.

Their testimonies offer shocking experiences of Israeli intelligence personnel employing machine-learning systems to pinpoint "targets" during the six-month-long aggression.

'The machine did it coldly'

Israeli utilization of sophisticated AI technology in its genocidal campaign in Gaza marks new territory in modern warfare, adding to the legal and ethical scrutiny and reshaping the dynamics between military personnel and automated systems.

"The machine did it coldly. And that made it easier,”  said one intelligence officer who used Lavender.

“I would invest 20 seconds for each target at this stage, and do dozens of them every day. I had zero added-value as a human, apart from being a stamp of approval. It saved a lot of time,” said another soldier.

The testimony from the six intelligence officers, all of whom have been involved in using AI systems to identify "targets" allegedly affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) during the war, was provided to Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. This information was published in a report by publication +972 Magazine and outlet Local Call.

Authorization to target civilians

All six individuals stated that Lavender played a pivotal role in the war, analyzing vast amounts of data to swiftly identify "potential targets". According to four sources, Lavender initially listed up to 37,000 Palestinian men allegedly linked to the Resistance during the early stages of the war.

Developed by the Israel Security Forces' elite intelligence division, Unit 8200, Lavender is likened to the US National Security Agency or the UK's GCHQ.

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Multiple sources detailed how the IOF implemented pre-authorized allowances for specific "target categories", specifying the estimated number of civilians permissible to be killed before authorizing a strike.

Palestinian father Ashraf abu Draz from #Rafah bidding farewell for his wife and two daughters aged 1 and 3 who were KILLED in #Israeli_bombing of his house last night!#StopGazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/U9M3S2NOG2

— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) April 4, 2024

According to two sources, in the initial weeks of the war, they were authorized to kill 15 to 20 civilians during airstrikes allegedly targeting Resistance fighters. These attacks, typically executed using unguided munitions referred to as "dumb bombs", resulted in the destruction of entire residences and the fatalities of all individuals inside them.
 
“You don’t want to waste expensive bombs on unimportant people – it’s very expensive for the country and there’s a shortage [of those bombs],” one intelligence officer said.

“Because we usually carried out the attacks with dumb bombs, and that meant literally dropping the whole house on its occupants. But even if an attack is averted, you don’t care – you immediately move on to the next target. Because of the system, the targets never end. You have another 36,000 waiting,” another added.

According to experts, if "Israel" has indeed utilized unguided bombs to destroy the residences of numerous Palestinians over the mere suspicion of having ties to Resistance groups in Gaza, aided by AI technology, this could provide a potential explanation for the significantly elevated civilian death toll during the war.

The Health Ministry reported earlier today that the total number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli aggression on Gaza started on October 7 has risen to 33,037, in addition to 75,668 injuries.

‘It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home’

The testimonies published by +972 and Local Call may shed light on how a modern military with advanced capabilities and precision weapons could still inflict significant casualties during warfare.

According to the testimonies, when targeting suspected Resistance fighters, the preference was to strike when they were believed to be present at their family's homes.

Four other people have been KILLED and several others WOUNDED in another #Israeli_bombing of Kherbet al Adas in #Rafah!#RafahUnderAttack #StopGazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/fa0xqRRkpL

— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) April 4, 2024

“We were not interested in killing [Hamas] operatives only when they were in a military building or engaged in a military activity,” one said. “It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home. The system is built to look for them in these situations.”

The strategy posed a risk of increased civilian casualties, and according to the sources, the IOF enforced predetermined limits on the acceptable number of civilian casualties in strikes targeting individual Resistance fighters. This ratio was reported to have evolved over time and differed based on the seniority of the target.

For amusement.
Not self defence.
Amusement.
Depraved bastards that they are.#IsraeliButchers

"Footage taken from IOF soldiers' social media accounts shows them joyfully & indiscriminately opening heavy fire at Palestinian residences in Gaza, seemingly for amusement."@QudsNen pic.twitter.com/vJj70QlmNQ

— redsarah99🇵🇸 #BlackLivesMatter🍉🍉 (@redsarah99) April 4, 2024

"No one thought about what to do afterward, when the war is over, or how it will be possible to live in Gaza,” one said.

“There was a dissonance: on the one hand, people here were frustrated that we were not attacking enough. On the other hand, you see at the end of the day that another thousand Gazans have died, most of them civilians,” one Israeli intelligence officer who used Lavender asserted.

Read more: Civilian deaths in Gaza top all 20th century wars: Israeli media