NYT: Israel's Military Given Green Light to Target Civilians
The New York Times has reported that the IDF significantly relaxed its rules of engagement at the onset of the war with Hamas. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly relaxed its engagement rules at the onset of the conflict with Hamas, allegedly allowing officers to conduct airstrikes even when aware that dozens of civilians would be killed, according to a report by the New York Times.
Following the attacks by Hamas on October 7 last year, the IDF purportedly issued an order granting mid-ranking officers the authority to target not only high-ranking Hamas leaders or recognized military installations but also lower-level fighters and locations with a potential high civilian presence. This information, drawn from interviews with Israeli officers, was revealed by the newspaper on Thursday.
Traditionally, the IDF reportedly accepted between five and ten civilian fatalities for each enemy operative killed. However, this adjustment apparently increased the acceptable number of civilian casualties to 20, as indicated by sources cited in the New York Times.
This shift allowed the military to strike at lower-level militants while they were at home with their families, rather than only targeting them when they were isolated outdoors, the report observed.
In practice, it was reported that IDF commanders authorized airstrikes that would likely jeopardize the lives of over 100 civilians. The newspaper claimed, based on discussions with more than 100 military personnel, that flawed systems were utilized for target identification, and unguided 2,000-pound bombs were deployed in strikes that would have normally called for smaller ordnance.
Within just three days of the Hamas attacks, the IDF lifted a pre-existing limitation on the number of airstrikes permitted in a single day. Consequently, around 30,000 munitions were dropped within the first seven weeks of the conflict, surpassing the total munitions used in the following eight months combined, according to the report.
When contacted by the New York Times, the IDF acknowledged that its rules of engagement had evolved after October 7 but asserted that its operations had "consistently been employing means and methods that adhere to the rules of law."
Since the conflict began, Israeli forces are reported to have killed nearly 45,400 individuals in Gaza, as indicated by statistics from the area’s Health Ministry, which have been accepted as reliable by the UN. A significant portion of those casualties has been comprised of women and children.
In December of last year, South Africa brought a case before the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Earlier this year, the court instructed Israel to exert every effort to prevent the genocide of Palestinians and to take immediate steps to enhance the humanitarian situation in Gaza by facilitating the entry of more food and medical supplies into the region.
The New York Times' report corroborates prior findings from the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine. In April, that publication disclosed that the IDF was utilizing an experimental AI system to locate targets in Gaza, with commanders initially programming the system to limit potential civilian casualties to 20, later increasing that threshold to 100.
The IDF has refuted these allegations, stating at that time that it "does not use an artificial intelligence system that identifies terrorist operatives or tries to predict whether a person is a terrorist."
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Following the attacks by Hamas on October 7 last year, the IDF purportedly issued an order granting mid-ranking officers the authority to target not only high-ranking Hamas leaders or recognized military installations but also lower-level fighters and locations with a potential high civilian presence. This information, drawn from interviews with Israeli officers, was revealed by the newspaper on Thursday.
Traditionally, the IDF reportedly accepted between five and ten civilian fatalities for each enemy operative killed. However, this adjustment apparently increased the acceptable number of civilian casualties to 20, as indicated by sources cited in the New York Times.
This shift allowed the military to strike at lower-level militants while they were at home with their families, rather than only targeting them when they were isolated outdoors, the report observed.
In practice, it was reported that IDF commanders authorized airstrikes that would likely jeopardize the lives of over 100 civilians. The newspaper claimed, based on discussions with more than 100 military personnel, that flawed systems were utilized for target identification, and unguided 2,000-pound bombs were deployed in strikes that would have normally called for smaller ordnance.
Within just three days of the Hamas attacks, the IDF lifted a pre-existing limitation on the number of airstrikes permitted in a single day. Consequently, around 30,000 munitions were dropped within the first seven weeks of the conflict, surpassing the total munitions used in the following eight months combined, according to the report.
When contacted by the New York Times, the IDF acknowledged that its rules of engagement had evolved after October 7 but asserted that its operations had "consistently been employing means and methods that adhere to the rules of law."
Since the conflict began, Israeli forces are reported to have killed nearly 45,400 individuals in Gaza, as indicated by statistics from the area’s Health Ministry, which have been accepted as reliable by the UN. A significant portion of those casualties has been comprised of women and children.
In December of last year, South Africa brought a case before the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Earlier this year, the court instructed Israel to exert every effort to prevent the genocide of Palestinians and to take immediate steps to enhance the humanitarian situation in Gaza by facilitating the entry of more food and medical supplies into the region.
The New York Times' report corroborates prior findings from the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine. In April, that publication disclosed that the IDF was utilizing an experimental AI system to locate targets in Gaza, with commanders initially programming the system to limit potential civilian casualties to 20, later increasing that threshold to 100.
The IDF has refuted these allegations, stating at that time that it "does not use an artificial intelligence system that identifies terrorist operatives or tries to predict whether a person is a terrorist."
Anna Muller for TROIB News
