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Insights from Sky News, Le Monde, The Conversation and Human Rights Watch
The news
The European Union and the United Nations called for an independent investigation into the reported discovery of mass graves near two hospitals in Gaza that were invaded by Israeli forces.
Palestinian authorities have said more than 300 bodies have been found in and around Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals, some tied up and stripped of clothing. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has denied burying the bodies, saying they were exhumed after the army received intelligence that the bodies of several Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attack were in the area.
The UN human rights chief said he was “shocked” by the reports, adding that any “intentional killing” of civilians and prisoners would be a war crime.
SIGNALS
Satellite images show a site bulldozed by the IDF
Source: SkyNews
The Israeli military said it had examined the bodies “respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased,” and that the bodies not identified as belonging to Israelis were being returned. However, satellite images collected by Sky News show the sites have been bulldozed, with “extensive” damage to the area, the broadcaster said. Videos posted on social media and reviewed by Sky also showed bulldozers in the area and tracks running across the complex during the IDF’s occupation of the hospital sites in February.
These are not the first allegations of war crimes in Gaza
Sources: Le Monde, Human Rights Watch
Reports of mass graves have increased fears of war crimes in Gaza. The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch previously said it observed Israeli forces carrying out “indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks in Gaza, amounting to collective punishment. In Le Monde, Benjamin Barthe also reported widespread civilian deaths due to the Israeli army’s use of “dumb bombs” that are not designed for precision attacks and target the family homes of possible Hamas fighters. “In the name of eradicating Hamas, the Israeli government has presided over a massive escalation of civilian killings in the Gaza Strip,” he argued.
AI used by IDF means the margin of error can be high
Source: The conversation
The IDF has used artificial intelligence to carry out attacks on would-be Hamas fighters in Gaza, using tools it claims have a 90% accuracy rate. However, the 10% misidentification rate means widespread civilian deaths, researchers Lauren Gould, Linde Arentze and Marijn Hoijtink noted in The Conversation. AI-led attacks “seem more objective and statistically correct because of the value we typically place on computer-based systems,” they wrote. Their algorithms focus on characteristics that the IDF believes belong to possible Hamas operatives, such as frequent address or phone number changes, or a presence in WhatsApp groups with known militants. But now that citizens have fled their homes, there is a good chance that they will also change their contact details, the authors say: “These citizens are therefore unknowingly making themselves suspect of deadly attacks.”
