The IDF reportedly used pre-authorised allowances for the estimated number of civilians who could be killed before a strike was authorised. The IDF's use of "dumb bombs" resulted in the destruction of entire homes and their occupants. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reports that 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict in the past six months. The IDF has stated that its operations were carried out in accordance with the rules of proportionality under international law and that Lavender was used to cross-reference intelligence sources, not to identify terrorist operatives.
Key takeaways:
- The Israeli military used an AI-powered database, Lavender, during its bombing campaign in Gaza, which identified 37,000 potential targets based on their apparent links to Hamas.
- Intelligence sources claim that Israeli military officials permitted large numbers of Palestinian civilians to be killed, particularly during the early weeks and months of the conflict.
- Lavender was developed by the Israel Defense Forces’ elite intelligence division, Unit 8200, and played a central role in the war, processing masses of data to rapidly identify potential “junior” operatives to target.
- The IDF imposed pre-authorised limits on the number of civilians it deemed acceptable to kill in a strike aimed at a single Hamas militant, with the ratio changing over time and according to the seniority of the target.