Investigation says Israel’s army used AI system ‘Lavender’ to mark 37,000 Gaza targets
See how this story connects+972 Magazine and Local Call published Yuval Abraham’s investigation on 3 April 2024, based on six Israeli intelligence officers, saying an AI system called Lavender flagged as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants in the war’s early weeks. Sources said officers often spent about 20 seconds per target and that the system erred in about 10% of cases; a tracking system called ‘Where’s Daddy?’ alerted officers when targets entered their homes. The IDF said it does not use an AI system that identifies terrorist operatives and that its information systems are tools for analysts in identifying targets.
Why it matters
The report put AI decision-support in targeting at the centre of debate on how much human review counts as meaningful control under international humanitarian law.
- When
- 3 Apr 2024
- ID
WTA-N-2024-0090- Where
- Israel
- Who
- Israel Defense Forces, +972 Magazine
Summary by wheresthe.ai, from +972 Magazine. Checked against the source on 9 Oct 2026.
Source copy: download the page as saved on 21 Oct 2026 (PDF). Also held by the Internet Archive.
Cite this story
WTA-N-2024-0090: “Investigation says Israel’s army used AI system ‘Lavender’ to mark 37,000 Gaza targets.” wheresthe.ai, 3 Apr 2024. https://wheresthe.ai/d/il-lavender-targeting-investigation-2024-04/ (source: +972 Magazine).
Spotted an error? Email [email protected].