IDF targeting decision made by highly trained human operatives, not AI, IDF tells 'Post'
There is significant frustration from high levels of the IDF, some of which was made public in a speech by IDF Chief Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Efi Deffrin, that the NAZA movie was not shared with the IDF.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are emphasizing that their targeting decisions in Gaza are made by highly trained human operatives, not artificial intelligence (AI), despite claims from a documentary called NAZA. IDF Chief Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Efi Deffrin expressed frustration during a speech that the NAZA film was not shared with the military prior to its public release, giving them an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
The IDF acknowledges the tragic aspect of collateral damage to Gazan civilians, which they view as an unfortunate reality of war. They argue that the NAZA film omits Hamas's efforts to evacuate civilians and call off attacks, which were legally valid, out of a desire to avoid harming civilians. The IDF maintains that the proportionality calculation, which considers the specific circumstances, the value of the military goal, the harm to civilians, and warning civilians beforehand, is highly elastic and contextual.
In certain situations, the air force has even redirected missiles away from hitting Hamas terrorists after they fired them, once civilians unexpectedly entered the strike zone. The IDF also acknowledges that mistakes can occur in complex operations, as seen in the chaotic rescue of hostage Noa Argamani in June 2024 when the rescue vehicle got stuck, but the IDF still managed to exercise discretion to avoid hitting civilians.
The IDF believes that the ratios of civilians killed per Hamas official presented by NAZA are significantly higher than reality, with estimates far below 100 or 500 civilians per terrorist. While mistakes do occur in complex operations, the IDF maintains that the air force and other officials involved are able to make judgments to minimize civilian casualties.
The IDF also criticizes the alleged disagreements between officers regarding the aggression in calling in air strikes, stating that such disagreements are a natural result of professional differences within the military, not related to debates about genocide.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
