Middle east crisis.

[sandGroundZero]

Israel-Gaza war Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets Israeli intelligence sources reveal use of ‘Lavender’ system in Gaza war and claim permission given to kill civilians in pursuit of low-ranking militants The Israeli military’s bombing campaign in Gaza used a previously undisclosed AI-powered database that at one stage identified 37,000 potential targets based on their apparent links to Hamas, according to intelligence sources involved in the war. In addition to talking about their use of the AI system, called Lavender, the 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. Their unusually candid testimony provides a rare glimpse into the first-hand experiences of Israeli intelligence officials who have been using machine-learning systems to help identify targets during the six-month war. Israel’s use of powerful AI systems in its war on Hamas has entered uncharted territory for advanced warfare, raising a host of legal and moral questions, and transforming the relationship between military personnel and machines. … The accounts include first-hand testimony of how intelligence officers worked with Lavender and how the reach of its dragnet could be adjusted. “At its peak, the system managed to generate 37,000 people as potential human targets,” one of the sources said. “But the numbers changed all the time, because it depends on where you set the bar of what a Hamas operative is.” They added: “There were times when a Hamas operative was defined more broadly, and then the machine started bringing us all kinds of civil defence personnel, police officers, on whom it would be a shame to waste bombs. They help the Hamas government, but they don’t really endanger soldiers.” … ‘It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home’ The testimonies published by +972 and Local Call may explain how such a western military with such advanced capabilities, with weapons that can conduct highly surgical strikes, has conducted a war with such a vast human toll. When it came to targeting low-ranking Hamas and PIJ suspects, they said, the preference was to attack when they were believed to be at home. “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.” … Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem and Harry Davies | Wed 3 Apr 2024 © 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited

[donkey22]

Arms sales to Israel: Top judges urge U.K. to halt weapons sales

Three former Supreme Court justices have joined more than 600 legal experts in calling for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel.

In a letter to the prime minister, they said exports must end because the UK risks breaking international law over a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza.

Arms sales to Israel: Top judges urge UK to halt weapons trade https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68729302

[Hamble]

Arms sales to Israel: Top judges urge U.K. to halt weapons sales

Three former Supreme Court justices have joined more than 600 legal experts in calling for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel.

In a letter to the prime minister, they said exports must end because the UK risks breaking international law over a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza.

Arms sales to Israel: Top judges urge UK to halt weapons trade https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68729302

I take it that you would support an Islamic Caliphate of Palestine.

Unreasonable ask calling for ban on sales to Israel.
Israel would just retaliate keep all weapons for themselves stop exporting once contracts are fulfilled.

That would harm Ukraine and the UK facing the same enemy backing Hamas Houthis Hezbollah-Iran.


https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel...llion-in-2022/

[shippy]

Whoever believes that the devastation of those volunteers at the Gaza food bank was deliberate, then I can assure you, that it was a tragic mistake..it is heartbreaking and such an accident is not going to help Israel’s image.

The majority of Israelis are heartbroken that such an accident happened.
(It has been promised that a full investigation as to what went wrong causing this tragedy.)
Firstly Israel is mourning for the death of those wonderful people who help the needy.
Secondly that this will further the delay in any negotiations to call for a ceasefire.

Tensions are building up in the north of Israel, with Hizbollah relentlessly firing rockets into Israel. Iranian backed rockets also fired from Syria. A lot going on that doesn’t always hit the news
Some of those rockets landing not too far from Haifa. Quite a large city.

May I remind people that had those people at the food bank been killed on purpose , then Israel would know that it would cause further accusations of genocide, with consequences…which we now see happening ..which must boost the backing of Hamas.
Deliberately targeting volunteers would be an absolute disaster as far as Israel is concerned …I sincerely believe it was an accident..

[shippy]

Israel-Gaza war Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets Israeli intelligence sources reveal use of ‘Lavender’ system in Gaza war and claim permission given to kill civilians in pursuit of low-ranking militants

There have been many questions about the destruction of so many buildings. Unfortunately those buildings were used as a place for rocket launchers and almost every building had tunnels running between each building.

Most people have read and possibly seen on the news the extent of those tunnels. Unbelievable..it has been an underground warfare until now.

Why Hamas will not come to a ceasefire agreement is because they see daily that their propaganda war is supported. They are using the Palestinians to keep the sympathy of the West.

[sandGroundZero]

Ex-minister urges UK to ‘flush out extremists’ in government who back Israeli settlements Conservative Alan Duncan placed under Tory investigation after accusing colleagues of “exercising the interests of another country.” LONDON — The Conservative Party is investigating a former minister who accused his Tory colleagues of “doing the bidding of Netanyahu” and demanded the firing of Britain’s security minister. Alan Duncan, an ex-foreign office minister, on Wednesday took aim at British politicians who support Israeli settlement-building in the West Bank, and blasted the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) parliamentary group. He argued that the group, which includes several MPs, Lords and ministers and aims to promote ties to Israel, has too much influence on the government and does the “bidding” of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. … Andrew McDonald | April 4, 2024 © Andrew McDonald/Politico

[sandGroundZero]

Rights group says Israeli strike on Gaza building killed 106 in apparent war crime JERUSALEM (AP) — A Human Rights Watch investigation published Thursday said an Israeli attack on a Gaza building in October had no apparent militant target, but killed 106 civilians, including 54 children, making it an “apparent war crime.” International law prohibits attacks on military targets that will likely cause disproportionate harm to civilians. The Oct. 31 attack was one of the deadliest since the start of the war nearly six months ago. Human Rights Watch says four separate strikes collapsed the Engineer’s Building in central Gaza, which was housing some 350 people, around a third of whom had fled their homes elsewhere in the territory. Those killed included children playing soccer outside and residents charging phones in the first-floor grocery store, it said. Thirty-four women, 18 men and 54 children were killed in the strike, according to the group, which says it corroborated its list of the dead with Airwars, a London-based conflict monitor. The dead came from 22 families. One extended family, the Abu Said family, lost 23 relatives in the strike, it said. … Julia Frankel | April 4, 2024 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press.

[local]

It is so easy to find video of innocents even waving white flags being picked out and killed by the IDF

The targeting of these vehicles was persistent and extended.

Correctly identifying targets seems to have been lost in the mist as the blood lust rises.

Those who defend without question do Israel no favours.

Hama murdering scum are very much having sentiment pushed their way helped by those who I presume think they are being loyal.

Starving innocents and cutting off their basic aid is only spluttering along because Dopey Joe is sick of what he sees.

[sandGroundZero]

After six months of war, Israel’s isolation grows with no end in sight JERUSALEM (AP) — When Israel declared war against Hamas last October, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group. Six months later, Israel finds itself in a far different place: bogged down in Gaza, divided domestically, isolated internationally and increasingly at odds with its closest ally. The risk of a broader regional war remains real. … Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood or any role for the PA. Meanwhile, there is little appetite among donor nations to contribute to reconstruction without a political consensus. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, says it will not fund reconstruction without a viable two-state approach. Ofer Shelah, a former lawmaker who is now a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the battlefield successes are “almost meaningless” without a diplomatic vision. “The real threat to Hamas will not be Israeli tanks or warplanes. It’s an alternative to running life in postwar Gaza,” he said. JOSEF FEDERMAN | April 5, 2024 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press

[sandGroundZero]

Israel-Gaza war Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets Israeli intelligence sources reveal use of ‘Lavender’ system in Gaza war and claim permission given to kill civilians in pursuit of low-ranking militants

Yossi Sariel unmasked as head of Unit 8200 and architect of AI strategy

…
Unit 8200, once revered within Israel and beyond for intelligence capabilities that rivalled those of the UK’s GCHQ, is thought to have built a vast surveillance apparatus to closely monitor the Palestinian territories.

However, it has been criticised over its failure to foresee and prevent Hamas’s deadly 7 October assault last year on southern Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 240 people.

Since the Hamas-led attacks, there have been accusations that Unit 8200’s “technological hubris” came at the expense of more conventional intelligence-gathering techniques.

In its war in Gaza, the IDF appears to have fully embraced Sariel’s vision of the future, in which military technology represents a new frontier where AI is being used to fulfil increasingly complex tasks on the battlefield.

…

In one chapter of the book, he provides a template for how to construct an effective targets machine drawing on “big data” that a human brain could not process. “The machine needs enough data regarding the battlefield, the population, visual information, cellular data, social media connections, pictures, cellphone contacts,” he writes. “The more data and the more varied it is, the better.”

Such a targets machine, he said, would draw on complex models that make predictions built “on lots of small, diverse features”, listing examples such as “people who are with a Hezbollah member in a WhatsApp group, people who get new cellphones every few months, those who change their addresses frequently”.

He argues that using AI to create potential military targets can be more efficient and avoid “bottlenecks” created by intelligence officials or soldiers. “There is a human bottleneck for both locating the new targets and decision-making to approve the targets. There is also the bottleneck of how to process a great amount of data. Then there is the bottleneck of connecting the intelligence to the fire.” He adds: “A team consisting of machines and investigators can blast the bottleneck wide open.”

…

Harry Davies and Bethan McKernan | Fri 5 Apr 2024
© 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited

[sandGroundZero]

The Israeli PM has turned to censorship for his survival, as the public increasingly feels despair over his military campaign … With mounting international criticism of Israel, regime supporters are working hard at creating an alternative reality where Israel is depicted as victorious and Gaza is seen exclusively as a haven for terrorists. No such broadcaster is more dedicated to this than Channel 14, an important stronghold for both Netanyahu and the far right. The channel is known for its blend of propaganda, extreme rhetoric and attacks on government critics. The rhetoric is so brazen, quotes from Channel 14 hosts were used in the International Court of Justice trial at The Hague. Channel 14 is a favourite of the current government; so much so that it has actively intervened to adjust regulations and ensure financial gains for the channel, favouring it over public and other commercial networks. This issue is so dear to the government that the Likud member of the Knesset David Bitan shut down a meeting with the finance ministry, which opposes the channel’s favourable treatment. “We’ll pass the law the way we want,” he said. … Etan Nechin | Sat 6 Apr 2024 © 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited

[local]

I don't see the point of these endless C&P on a forum maybe to support a point or to correct one but on their own they become wallpaper.



The Israeli explanation of the Aid Workers vehicle attacks unfortunately raises more questions than answers especially the question of bag or gun for the operator.

We are told the three white vehicles with signage was unidentifiable yet the operator was weighing between bag and gun in someone's hand ?

It's beginning to sound like the Kremlin press releases.

Its just getting worse.

[sandGroundZero]

Bibiism After Bibi Israel’s longest-serving prime minister may be out, but his legacy will outlast him. …Netanyahu has also pursued a covert plan to empty out Gaza: during his campaign visit to Ukraine, a senior Israeli official told diplomatic correspondents, “Israel is actively promoting the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. In 2018 over 35,000 have already left.” According to a +972 report last year, this wave of emigration consists mostly of doctors, lawyers, academics, and scientists, resulting in a severe brain and economic drain. — from a not entirely prescient article dated Sept. 20, 2019

[shippy]

[table="align: center"][tr][td]

Bibiism After Bibi Israel’s longest-serving prime minister may be out, but his legacy will outlast him. …Netanyahu has also pursued a covert plan to empty out Gaza: during his campaign visit to Ukraine, a senior Israeli official told diplomatic correspondents, “Israel is actively promoting the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. In 2018 over 35,000 have already left.” According to a +972 report last year, this wave of emigration consists mostly of doctors, lawyers, academics, and scientists, resulting in a severe brain and economic drain.[ATTACH=CONFIG]232511[/ATTACH

Don’t believe all you read in the newspapers.
I don’t believe that such a sensitive “plan” would be discussed in the presence of anyone.
You are now CP-ing old news.

I wish that all those people who are protesting, would put a word in for the hostages. It’s been reported that a further 25% of those 140 hostages are dead ..
If Hamas returned those hostages today, then something could be done to stop the war.

Because of the support Hamas are getting from the West, makes Hamas more determined to hold onto those hostages.

Golda Meir once said.
"If we have to choose between being dead and pitied, or being alive with a bad image, we'd rather be alive and have the bad image."

[donkey22]

Golda Meir once said.
"If we have to choose between being dead and pitied, or being alive with a bad image, we'd rather be alive and have the bad image."

Strange strategy, but one that seems to be working.