More than 18,000 people have died in the Irael-Hamas conflict since October 7th when 1,200 people were killed in Israel, and another 50,000 have been wounded in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry.
A study published in an Israeli newspaper says that 61% of those killed may have been civilians.
The Israeli Defence Forces strenuously deny targeting non-combatants and say they take all practical measures to protect civilians in a war where their opponent, Hamas, is entrenched in tunnels beneath built-up areas and shields itself with the surrounding civilian population.
But Yuval Abraham, an Israeli investigative journalist with +972 Magazine, an independent online magazine reporting from Israel and Palestine, says that the Israeli Defence Forces has expanded its bombing of non-military targets, referred to as “power targets”, with the goal of putting pressure on the civilian population to turn against Hamas.
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Israeli intelligence officers have also relaxed the criteria for targeting members of Hamas, Abraham has reported, permitting greater potential for collateral damage to civilians.
The report, which cites seven current and former members of Israeli intelligence as sources, also reveals the use of an AI system called “The Gospel” to select growing numbers of military targets.
Yuval Abraham talks to The Irish Times In the News podcast about his investigation and says that concepts like “power targets” together with AI technology are defining how this war is waged and increasing the danger for civilians in Gaza.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and John Casey.
