Gaza: The Cyber Nexus of Modern War Crimes

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Threads of Justice: Gaza's Cyber War Crimes Explored in Complexity of War, Peace, Global Justice.

A Genocide Broadcasted Live: The Complicity of Global Powers in Gaza’s Tragedy

The modern cyber era has introduced an extraordinary horror: the first genocide unfolding live before our eyes streamed to our phones. Day after day, we witness the murder of innocents and the obliteration of a people, their homeland systematically reduced to rubble. Nowhere is this more evident than in Gaza, where Israeli leaders are carrying out a calculated campaign to render the territory uninhabitable. As Professor Jeffrey Sachs highlights in a recent interview, evidence abounds—not just in reports but in celebratory posts shared by Israeli Defence Force troops on social media.

Hospitals, schools, mosques, clinics, water supplies, and power infrastructure are deliberately targeted. Relief efforts are obstructed, leaving surgeons to perform operations on children without anaesthetics in conditions that defy comprehension.

Even as they face the bombings themselves, some doctors, in their final moments, record messages of unshaken resolve to care for the injured until their last breath.

The destruction of Gaza’s hospitals is documented in harrowing detail. These are not accusations but undeniable realities, recorded and reviewed by international bodies, including the International Court of Justice. The evidence raises grave charges under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Should the court rule that genocide has indeed been committed, a troubling reality emerges as complicity at the highest levels of U.S. leadership. Figures like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden are not mere bystanders—they are enablers.

“As an American, I find what Israel is doing despicable. Yet, even more shocking is the Biden administration’s refusal to acknowledge the harm being done. Blinken’s dismissive stance—claiming there is no harm—is an egregious failure of responsibility.

A high-ranking State Department official (1) recently resigned over this and revealed that most of the bombs, technology, and fighter jets used by Israel come from the United States. Every bomb dropped in Gaza, every airstrike, bears an unmistakable link to American support. Israel’s ability to continue its actions relies entirely on U.S. funding, arms, diplomatic cover, and intelligence.

The U.S. has provided unwavering support, using its veto in the United Nations and giving Israel a blank check. Despite murmurs of concern from Blinken, these have translated into no tangible action. Instead, Blinken has falsely certified that Israel operates within international and U.S. law, further deepening the complicity. This is not passive or casual involvement but an active and intensive engagement. The decisions enabling this devastation—whether fully directed by President Biden or influenced by others—demonstrate a profound abdication of moral responsibility. The world is watching, and the truth cannot be denied.”

(1) Josh Paul is a former State Department official who resigned with other officials over Biden’s continued arms transfers to Israel. The officials included Lily Greenberg Call, Harrison Mann, Hala Rharrit, Maryam Hassanein, Mohammed Abu Hashem, Riley Livermore, Alexander Smith, Stacy Gilbert, Anna Del Castillo, Annelle Sheline, Tariq Habash, and Andrew Miller. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/us-gaza-policy-60-minutes-video-2025-01-12/

The Unforgivable Crimes in Gaza: A Test of Humanity’s Conscience

Professor Rob Howse, an esteemed international law scholar who has taught at institutions like NYU, Harvard, and the Sorbonne, offers a grim reflection on the perversion of military ethics in modern warfare.

He writes in Novara Media (1):

“The modern laws of war and military discipline revolve around the notion that with proper training, including instruction in humanitarian law, soldiers can carry out orders to destroy and kill while exercising professional restraint. They can be as lethal as is needed to accomplish military goals while acting in accordance with a moral and legal code. This is not just about genocide. It is also about legicide—destroying the whole notion of legal limits in war—as well as the mass destruction of the moral lives of soldiers, their souls, and consciences.”

Howse’s words resonate sharply against the backdrop of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, launched in October 2023, which has unleashed some of the gravest atrocities in modern history. Entire Palestinian families have been obliterated. Relentless airstrikes have vaporized children, while harrowing footage reveals Palestinians burned alive and torn apart by advanced weaponry supplied by the U.S. and its allies. According to the latest Lancet report (2), over 170,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza—a figure that fails to capture the full scope of this catastrophe.

The destruction in Gaza goes far beyond lives lost. Civilian infrastructure has been systematically destroyed. Farmlands, essential for sustenance, have been reduced to ashes. The environmental fallout from the colossal explosives unleashed is a ticking time bomb for the region, poisoning the land and water for generations to come. But the genocide doesn’t stop at Gaza’s borders. Israel has extended its mass killings into Lebanon and Syria, all under the guise of “security.” In reality, this violence serves the colonial ambition of the “Greater Israel”(3) project, a vision rooted in the displacement and erasure of indigenous populations.

“In calling out genocide today, it is both legally and morally correct to emphasize the people of Gaza as the main victims. Yet the harm to law and morality done by Israel extends beyond them—it has wrought a moral abyss that has no legal name. International humanitarian law, to be sure, has legal offences that reach practices such as the humiliation of victims, and affronts to their human dignity. Some of what we see on the Israeli soldiers’ smartphones likely amount to that. Sentencing in international tribunals can take account of the attitude with which soldiers kill, to an extent – “aggravating factors” include “particular cruelty”. But none of this completely or exactly captures the breakdown of morality represented by those selfies and the acts they document with exhilarating joy. Not only the Palestinian people will require recovery from this genocide—this more than genocide—but humanity itself.” (1) As Howse warns, what we are witnessing is not only genocide but the obliteration of the moral and legal codes that once served as humanity’s faint lines of restraint.

(1) https://novaramedia.com/2025/01/02/no-legal-term-even-genocide-can-fathom-israels-atrocities-in-gaza/
(2) https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250110-lancet-study-estimates-gaza-death-toll-40-higher-than-recorded
(3) https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/chris-hedges-genocide-is-the-new-normal

Exposing the Military-Industrial Complex Supporting Israel's War on Gaza

This devastation is not just a byproduct of war—it is a profitable enterprise. As detailed by Al Jazeera, Western arms dealers and governments profit immensely from this barbaric showcase of military technology. These “cruel experiments” are not new (1), but the tools of violence are now more advanced and deadly than ever.

Among the weapons deployed are the “Iron Sting bomb” by Elbit Systems, the “Spark drone” from Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, and AI-powered systems that target and “vaporize” Palestinian bodies. This cutting-edge military technology, refined through oppression in Gaza, is then exported globally—including to Canada (2), where Israeli surveillance and weaponry are being trialled.

As noted by Australian-German Jewish author Antony Loewenstein, nations worldwide support Israel’s occupation of Palestine because it provides access to “battle-tested” weapons (3), securing profits and perpetuating violence.

(1) https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/cruel-experiments-israels-arms-industry
(2) https://www.readthemaple.com/canada-to-host-tests-of-israeli-arms-tech-used-on-palestinians/
(3) https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-testing-new-weapons-in-gaza-for-global-sales-laying-blueprint-for-automated-murder-with-ai-expert/3137263

Artificial Intelligence and Big Tech as a Tool of War

The “Hannibal Directive” and the AI-driven strategies are used extensively by nations like Israel to target civilian populations under the guise of precision warfare, intensifying the indiscriminate numbers of victims and the results of destruction at industrial capacity.

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized industries, but its application in warfare exposes its darkest potential.

In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, AI is being weaponized with devastating consequences. Two media outlets, +972 Magazine (1) and The Guardian (2), have reported the Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted systems like Lavender, which identifies targets in Gaza. Another program, known as The Gospel, generates recommendations for buildings and structures where militants might operate. A chillingly named tool, “Where’s Daddy?” tracks individuals by monitoring their phone movements, often targeting them at their homes—regarded as sufficient confirmation of their identity.

The consequences of these AI-driven systems are catastrophic. Airstrikes following such identification frequently obliterate entire families and, in many cases, the occupants of entire apartment buildings. As all we witnessed through our phones and journalists reported (3).

Experts on the laws of war, already alarmed by the integration of AI into military operations, express deep concerns about its use in Gaza and Ukraine. In Ukraine, for example, software developed by Silicon Valley firm Palantir (4) Technologies reportedly plays a central role in targeting Russian forces, establishing what some fear are dangerous precedents for warfare.

The use of AI in military targeting raises ethical and operational concerns, particularly due to “automation bias,” where AI outputs are assumed accurate without sufficient scrutiny, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences. Despite these risks, there is little incentive to regulate AI-driven warfare (5), especially as it enhances U.S. military capabilities. This includes funding the proxy war in Ukraine and supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, both occurring with apparent impunity and challenging international norms.

(1) https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai-database-hamas-airstrikes
(3) https://time.com/7202584/gaza-ukraine-ai-warfare/
(4) https://time.com/6691662/ai-ukraine-war-palantir/
(5) https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/5/12/how-us-big-tech-supports-israels-ai-powered-genocide-and-apartheid

The Big Tech Doing Business with War

(1) https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/20/meta-systemic-censorship-palestine-content
(2) https://medium.com/@notechforapartheid/a-marriage-made-in-hell-an-introduction-to-microsofts-complicity-in-apartheid-and-genocide-d7dfad65a196
(3) https://mondoweiss.net/2024/06/rotten-to-the-core-how-the-gaza-genocide-has-revealed-anti-palestinian-racism-at-apple/
(4) https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/battle-inside-google-over-company-support-israel-military
(5) https://www.counterfire.org/article/chris-smalls-amazons-complicity-in-israeli-genocide-and-how-we-fight-back/

On this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, the journalist highlights the sinister intersection of governments, Big Tech, and the machinery of war propaganda.

With the testimony of three courageous individuals who chose to put their careers on the line to fight against Big Tech suppression of voices fighting for Palestinian lives.

Saima Akhter, a former data analyst at Meta (1); Hossam Nasr, a former software engineer at Microsoft (2); and Tariq Ra’ouf, a former tech expert at Apple (3), speak about the internal struggles they dealt with in light of the genocide, which ultimately led to each of their dismissals.

“The truly scary part of this is that all the major American cloud companies—Google (4), Amazon (5), and Microsoft—are deeply critical to that infrastructure (IDF), providing cloud services, storage services, and artificial intelligence services without which the Israeli military would not have been able to be as effective.”

Israel’s Assault on Truth and International Peacekeepers

"Combat Propaganda": Using AI to Target Journalists

Over a year of relentless war has unleashed unprecedented violence against journalists, effectively decimating Gaza’s press corps and barring foreign reporters from entering the besieged territory. This brutal campaign against the free press is no accident—it is a deliberate strategy by Israeli forces to suppress coverage of their atrocities in Gaza.

Journalists, who have risked their lives to document the horrors, are systematically targeted, with Israel branding them as “accomplices or “terrorists.” (1) This narrative is used to justify their killing and intimidate those who dare to report on the conflict. Such actions are part of Israel’s broader strategy of “combat propaganda,” aimed at controlling the narrative and denying the global public access to critical information about the war—information that is undeniably in the public interest.

(1) https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/25/middleeast/journalists-death-israeli-strike-gaza-intl-hnk/index.html

The Brutality Extends Beyond Gaza

The brutality extends beyond Gaza. French journalist Sylvain Mercadier’s ordeal offers a chilling insight into Israel’s campaign to suppress independent reporting.

Detained by Israeli forces in Syrian territory, Mercadier was beaten and subjected to what he described as “brutal interrogation.”(1) His case reflects the extremes to which Israel will go to silence dissenting voices and stifle any challenge to its narrative.

This suppression of truth is paralleled by Israel’s escalating aggression against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)(2). Since launching its ground invasion of Lebanon on October 1, 2024, marking the sixth Israeli invasion of Lebanon since 1978, Israeli fire has repeatedly targeted UN peacekeepers, injuring several, destroying equipment and facilities, and forcing some to withdraw.

The invasion took place after nearly 12 months of Israel-Hezbollah conflict. On November 26, 2024, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement, mediated by France and the United States. Ceasefire was violated immediately by Israel (3).

(1) https://www.palestinechronicle.com/brutally-interrogated-french-journalist-detained-by-israel-in-syria/
(2) https://theglobalobservatory.org/2024/10/what-is-behind-israels-deliberate-attacks-on-un-peacekeepers-in-lebanon-interview-with-karim-makdisi/
(3) https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250114-israel-army-continues-violations-of-ceasefire-in-lebanon/

Unprecedented Attacks in Gaza: Hospitals, First Responders, and Testimonies

War is never the solution. The violence of one side never ever justifies the violence of the other. The hard work of diplomacy must be used because wars generate only violence, destruction, starvation, misery, and grief; they could destroy humankind. Applying all diplomatic, political, and economic measures is paramount and the way to put an end to the genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli administration.

But the slow pace of diplomacy and justice is letting the horror go live-streamed and unstopped.

Doctors who are the first witnesses to this horror are raising their voices (1); meanwhile, “the cabal of warmongering pundits, diplomats, and technocrats, who smugly dodge responsibility for the array of military disasters they orchestrate, are protean, shifting adroitly with the political tides,” as stated by Chris Edges (2).

We watch live the war crimes and crimes against humanity. First aid personnel that are killed, hospitals are destroyed, and medical personnel are burned alive inside the remains of the buildings, or are humiliated, kidnapped and disappeared, tortured, and killed in the concentration camps.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) must join the World Health Organization in demanding the immediate release of Kamal Adwan hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh. As 11,425 have emailed it in recent days, the CMA must also condemn Israel’s war on Palestinian health infrastructure and workers. Discover more from the voice of Ives Engler (3).

(1) https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorsAgainstGenocide
(2) https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/this-is-the-text-of-a-talk-i-gave
(3) https://yvesengler.com/2025/01/04/cma-must-condemn-israels-attacks-on-gaza-healthcare/
Tweet highlighting Haaretz editorial urging Israel to stop attacks on Gaza hospitals, featuring a hospital scene.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

Statement on aid workers under attack, highlighting safety issues, by UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator. @sahatenglish
Lancet study reports Gaza death toll 40% higher than official figures, citing disrupted data collection.
Quote by Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah on Gaza population impact, December 30, 2024, Day 450.

The reported death toll from Gaza’s Ministry of Health is often dismissed as exaggerated or false but is based on a detailed and systematic process (1).Data is collected from Gaza’s public and private hospitals, where medical staff record personal details of casualties in a computerized register. For unidentified bodies or cases where entire families are killed, health professionals assign identification numbers. This data is forwarded to the Ministry’s “Central Martyrs Register” and verified by a dedicated five-person information unit.

This methodical process, recognized as reliable by sources like the World Health Organization and detailed in documents reviewed by Le Monde, highlights the challenges and credibility of Gaza’s casualty reporting.

Knowing this process, you can see how Israel is causing disruptions by attacking hospitals, bombing ambulances, and killing first aid workers and medical staff. On December 31, 2024, the UN Human Rights Office released a report showing there were at least 136 attacks (2) on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024. One thousand (3) Palestinian health workers have been killed.

Despite disruptions caused by Israeli attacks on hospitals—leaving only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals partially operational (4)—the ministry supplements its data with input from first responders (Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defence) and reliable media. A reporting form also tracks victims buried under rubble or unable to reach hospitals. Verified testimonies are reviewed by a judicial committee to ensure the accuracy of the death tolls.

Personnel of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)(5) are facing relentless physical assaults in Gaza. At least 237 UNRWA personnel have been killed, and over 200 of its premises have been damaged or destroyed, resulting in the deaths of more than 560 civilians who sought refuge under its protection. Additionally, dozens of UNRWA staff have been detained, with harrowing reports of torture emerging, underscoring the agency’s unprecedented peril in this conflict.

The level of destruction is documented in Forensic Architecture (FA)(6). It is a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London. Its mandate is “to develop, employ, and disseminate new techniques, methods, and concepts for investigating state and corporate violence.” Its team includes architects, software developers, filmmakers, investigative journalists, scientists, and lawyers. It is an interdisciplinary agency operating across human rights, journalism, architecture, art and aesthetics, academia, and the law.

“If we are listening to The Lancet (7), it’s likely that over 675,000 (some calculations are more like 1.125 million) Palestinians have been annihilated by Israel & paid for by the US in Gaza. Stop using the official numbers; they do not account for indirect deaths.” Said Maura Finkelstein, Professor and Author of The Archive of Loss: Lively Ruination in Mill Land, Mumbai (Duke UP 2019).

(1) https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/10/13/why-the-gaza-health-ministry-s-death-count-is-considered-reliable_6729264_8.html
(2) https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/pattern-israeli-attacks-gaza-hospitals-raises-grave-concerns-report
(3) https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nearly-1000-palestinian-health-workers-killed-israeli-forces-gaza-named
(4) https://www.who.int/fr/news/item/12-09-2024-who-analysis-highlights-vast-unmet-rehabilitation-needs-in-gaza
(5) https://www.unrwa.org/resources/un-unrwa/letter-unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini-president-united-nations
(6) https://forensic-architecture.org/
(7) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01434-X/fulltext

Hostage Families in Israel: Advocates for Ceasefire Amid Persecution

Jerusalem Post headline about Ben-Gvir's admission on hostage deal prevention, with a man in front of a hostage photo collage.

In Israel, the families of hostages and those calling for their safe return have become some of the most vocal proponents of a ceasefire (1). Their appeals to prioritize human life over vengeance have exposed them to harassment and persecution. They accuse Netanyahu of prolonging Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza at the expense of the hostages’ lives.

Within Israel’s dominant political narrative, advocating for a ceasefire is often equated with treason, a reflection of the regime’s ideological grip that casts the pursuit of life and justice as a radical act.

(1) https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241226-families-of-israeli-hostages-threaten-legal-action-against-netanyahu-over-blocked-gaza-deal/
Haaretz Editorial tweet about Netanyahu's government scuttling a hostage release deal, with a person in a suit at a podium.
News headline about Netanyahu, cease-fire offer, and alleged political sabotage by Israel's Prime Minister.
News headline about an Israeli negotiator's accusation against Netanyahu for hindering Gaza cease-fire talks, dated July 26, 2024.
News headline about Netanyahu's decision on hostages and political implications, published by Haaretz, August 2024.
Haaretz article analysis on U.S. misinterpreting Netanyahu's stance on Gaza deal; political urgency highlighted.

On January 19, 2025, a ceasefire was declared in Gaza. But two days after Operation "Iron Wall" started in the West Bank. The genocide continues.

On January 19, 2025, a ceasefire was declared, marking a moment of fragile respite in a genocide. Three Israeli prisoners (soldiers) were released in good health, a stark contrast to the plight of Palestinian hostages, including children and women who had been held without charge or trial, and prisoners. That contrast shows who values human dignity and who disregards it.

Their release by the IDF was delayed. Many emerged from detention emaciated, bearing the scars of physical and psychological torment. Starved, beaten, and dehumanized, these detainees symbolize the systemic cruelty inflicted on Palestinians under occupation.

Tragically, there are no assurances that these individuals will not face re-arrest. Israel’s record of arbitrary detentions and its treatment of Palestinian prisoners raises grim doubts about its adherence to even the most basic principles of justice and human rights. This is not just a violation of individual dignity—it is a glaring indictment of a system, Israel, that perpetuates oppression and fuels the cycle of violence since 1948.

On January 21, 2025, Israel launched Operation “Iron Wall” in the northern West Bank to cleanse it ethnically. The genocide continues.

Continuing the Thread

In the previous article, I explored the systematic efforts to weaken global accountability mechanisms, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). These attacks are not just legal or procedural—they strike at the heart of global justice and the fight against impunity.

In the next piece, I will delve into a big picture of how the U.S. leverages a strategic toolbox—proxy wars, regime changes, and economic sanctions—to reshape the geopolitical landscape and secure its dominance while fostering instability and undermining sovereignty worldwide. In this context, BRICS emerges as a counterbalance, offering a multipolar alternative to U.S. hegemony and promoting equitable economic and political frameworks.

Stay tuned as I continue unravelling the threads of justice.

Smiling woman in red dress sitting on a white sofa, leaning on her hand.

Nancy Perin

Nancy is a caring individual with a background in sociology and a strong desire to connect people. She has improved workplaces and communities with her almost two decades of experience in management teams, human resources, coaching, and community project management. Nancy has also served on the board of directors of the Italian Personnel Managers Association and participated in a humanitarian mission to Dakar, Senegal, to support family centres.

Her intercultural love story sparked her interest in migration-relatedtopics and led her to launch @journeysta, a project that aims to strengthen cultural ties between Canada and Italy.

Nancy oversees the Gallery of Human Migration and believes in the possibility of creating caring communities that are involved in the processes of welcoming, acceptance, and integration. Join her on this journey of discovery and cultural exchange.

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