An investigation by The Washington Post has revealed that Google has been providing advanced artificial intelligence tools to Israel’s Defence Ministry and military operations during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The report, published on Wednesday, stated that Google granted the Israeli Defence Ministry expedited access to its Vertex AI service shortly after the war began on October 7, 2023.
Internal documents suggested that Google employees expressed concerns about losing contracts to competitors like Amazon if the company delayed providing AI tools.
A document from November 2023 showed a Google employee thanking a colleague for assisting with a Defence Ministry request, while additional records from 2024 detailed continued efforts to provide the Israeli military with expanded AI services.
By late 2024, the Israeli military was still seeking Google’s latest AI platforms, including the Gemini AI system for text and voice processing. However, the documents did not specify how these tools were utilized or their effects on military operations.
These revelations coincide with ongoing protests from Google employees who oppose the company’s Nimbus cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Critics have raised ethical concerns about the role of technology companies in conflicts and the potential for misuse of AI in military applications.
This development comes as a ceasefire brought an end to a 15-month-long conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip and heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, Hamas released three Israeli hostages, while Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners. The truce paused hostilities, allowing Palestinians to return to damaged neighborhoods and begin rebuilding, with relief supplies arriving to provide much-needed aid.
Celebrations erupted in Gaza as Hamas fighters emerged from hiding, and fireworks lit the skies in Ramallah, West Bank, where crowds welcomed buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners.
According to Hamas, the released individuals included 69 women and 21 teenage boys from the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Gaza health officials estimate that more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, leaving nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents homeless.
Under the ceasefire terms, hostilities have ceased, aid has begun flowing into Gaza, and an additional 33 hostages are expected to be released over a six-week period in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Many hostages are feared dead.
In northern Gaza, residents began searching through the rubble of neighborhoods destroyed in some of the war’s fiercest battles.
The ceasefire, which was delayed by three hours, came into effect after Israeli airstrikes killed 13 people.
Israel attributed the delay to Hamas’ failure to provide a list of hostages to be released, while Hamas described the delay as a technical issue.