- Fighting resumed in Gaza after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended.
- A large number of casualties were recorded in the first few minutes after the fighting resumed.
- Israel is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to select its targets and carry out precise air strikes in Gaza.
- Systems like ‘Gospel’, ‘Alchemist’ and ‘Depth of Wisdom’, which were used earlier, have now made a comeback.
- More than 14,000 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, while 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7.
Gaza: The conflict between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, has been going on for decades. The latest round of violence erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas fired rockets at Israel, killing 1,400 people. Israel responded with a massive air and ground offensive, vowing to root out Hamas. Egypt brokered a ceasefire on October 31, but it collapsed on November 2, when fighting resumed.
AI in warfare
Israel has been using AI to enhance its military capabilities and gain an edge over its enemies. In 2021, Israel launched its offensive campaign ‘Operation Guardians of the Wall’ against Palestinians in Gaza, which was dubbed the ‘First AI War’. In this operation, Israel used data collected from AI devices to attack selected targets in Gaza, such as Hamas leaders, rocket launchers, tunnels, and weapons depots.
According to a report by The Times of Israel, Israel is using systems like ‘Gospel’, ‘Alchemist’, and ‘Depth of Wisdom’ to conduct its current attacks on Gaza. These systems are designed to collect, analyze, and process data from various sources, such as human intelligence, visual intelligence, signals intelligence, satellites, ground intelligence, and surveillance. The data is then fed into the systems to help create data for precise attacks.
One of the systems, ‘Gospel’, is used to target targets at high speed with automatic devices. It can create a perfect match between the traces identified through spying technology and a person. For example, it can match a phone number, a voice, a face, or a location to a specific individual. Another system, ‘Alchemist’, is used to generate a list of potential targets for attack, based on the data collected by ‘Gospel’. It can also prioritize the targets according to their importance and urgency. A third system, ‘Depth of Wisdom’, is used to monitor the results of the attacks and provide feedback to the other systems.
The IDF claimed on November 2 that more than 12,000 targets were hit in the 27-day fighting. This means that about 444 targets were attacked in a day. The increase in the number of targets for attack is due to AI-generated data. A report by The Guardian says that ‘Gospel’ can automatically determine targets for attack, without human intervention. This AI system enables a ‘mass murder factory’, according to the report.
Humanitarian crisis
The use of AI in warfare has raised ethical and legal questions, as well as humanitarian concerns. The UN has condemned the indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and called for an immediate end to the hostilities. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 14,000 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, while more than 40,000 have been injured. More than 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The UN has also warned of the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, as the health system in Gaza is overwhelmed and damaged by the attacks.
