Israel's army has ben using an AI system that resulted in the unnecessary and potentially illegal deaths of high numbers of innocent Palestinians, notably women and children, according to a local investigation.

Israel-based +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed that Israel's armed forces used an AI-powered system named Habsora (Hebrew for "The Gospel") to accelerate the generation of potential bombing targets during the Israel-Hamas war. 

The system is also used to calculate the number of people living in or close the same building who were likely to be killed by a strike on the target, the report says, and is thought to have helped the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) to expand its bombing campaign to non-military 'power targets' such as private residences, high-rise blocks, public buildings and critical infrastructure, current and former Israeli intelligence sources told +972.

Experts say use of the system led to a much more aggressive approach in which buildings are bombed "without hesitation" if they are believed to harbour suspected militants. It is also seen to have contributed significantly to the high number of civilians killed, injured and displaced in Gaza. 

Intelligence officers also reported that the IDF is using the system with inadequate oversight and little concern about collateral damage. According to Palestinians speaking to +972, the IDF "attacked many private residences where there was no known or apparent member of Hamas or any other militant group residing ... knowingly kill[ing] entire families in the process." 

In one instance, Israel's military command 'knowingly' approved the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an attempt to assassinate a single top Hamas military commander, according to the investigation.

The finding is seen to raise serious questions about the legality, morality and ethics of the IDF's use of AI in Gaza and elsewhere, and in warfare more generally.