Israeli army relaxed rules for bombing 'non-military targets' in Gaza

The loosening of rules within the Israeli army on attacking "non-military" targets may have contributed to the massive death toll in the Gaza Strip since 7 October, a new report has suggested.

A joint investigation by Israeli outlets 972+ Mag and Local Call, including interviews with multiple current and former intelligence officials, indicates that lower expectations on limiting civilian targets were combined with the use of AI to generate a wider range of targets, which one person branded a "mass assassination factory".

In at least one case, sources said Israeli army intelligence approved the death of hundreds of Palestinians as part of an attempt to assassinate one Hamas military commander.

When compared with previous Gaza assaults, there has been a major expansion of "non-military targets", with private residences, infrastructure and high-rise blocks - all defined as "power targets" - now fair game for attacks.

Read more: Israeli army relaxed rules for bombing 'non-military targets' in Gaza