Military AI systems | Germany benefits from Gaza as a tech test lab

Gaza has long served as a testing ground for disruptive military technologies. Around the turn of the millennium, the army tested its first armed drones. These were followed by land and sea robots, kamikaze and sniper drones, and biometric and facial recognition systems for tracking and controlling the Palestinian population. With the 2021 "Operation Guardian of the Walls" offensive, Israel opened a new chapter: The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) described it as the world's "first experience in AI warfare."

At the heart of this warfare are three networked systems. "Lavender" generates mass "kill targets" by rating individuals in Gaza for Hamas affiliation – on a scale of 1 to 100. At least 37,000 people are said to have already been marked, with an accepted error rate of about 10 percent. Human oversight is minimal: For "low-value" targets, up to 20 civilian deaths are calculated, and for "high-value" targets, even up to 100.

In addition, "Gospel" analyzes buildings and identifies them as suspected Hamas infrastructure. Similar to "Lavender," it processes data from drone and satellite reconnaissance, social media, telecommunications, and biometric surveillance.

The third system, "Where's Daddy," locates targets in real time. When they return home in the evening, they can be killed by airstrikes – often wiping out entire families. Life-and-death decisions are often made by low-ranking officers – and according to research, they rely heavily on the algorithms.

Israel is now confidently presenting its AI warfare. At the first "DefenseTech Summit" in Tel Aviv in 2024, military officials and tech companies met to discuss autonomous drones, automated targeting systems, and AI weapons technology. Palantir, a US company specializing in predictive decision-support software, announced that since the attack by Palestinian groups on Israel on October 7, 2023, "all doors are open" for cooperation with the Israeli military.

A number of other US companies are benefiting from the technological upgrade, as they can test their systems under real-world conditions in Gaza. IBM is providing a population database whose information can also be used against Palestinian women. Hewlett Packard is supplying servers for Israeli control agencies such as COGAT. Microsoft operates its largest data center outside the US in Israel; the Azure cloud is used there to provide IT infrastructure for the military, police, prisons, and illegal settlements as part of the "Nimbus" project. Google and Amazon are jointly investing $1.2 billion in this cloud structure – the basis for AI-supported surveillance and killing .

At the same time, Israel is building a comprehensive digital propaganda machine. AI and social media are forming a new front against dwindling Western support for Israel's murderous Gaza policy. Since March 2025, the government has operated a "Media War Room" that monitors online content and automatically disseminates counter-narratives—for example, to European audiences or US Jews, including children. Depending on the context, Israel portrays itself as a victim or as a regulatory power in the Middle East.

As far as is known, no German companies are yet directly involved in Israel's military AI development. However, the government and institutions are working on a rapprochement. In February, for example, employees of the Bundeswehr University, the Helmholtz Association—Germany's largest scientific organization—and the defense fund Protego discussed what Germany could learn from Israel's "software war" on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The pace and commercialization were considered exemplary.

"Agreements with Israel without transparency towards the Bundestag are not legitimate government policy, but rather head-through-the-wall policy."

Jan Köstering, Left Party MP

The pro-Israel lobby organization Elnet (European Leadership Network) plays a key role in networking military, industrial, and political actors. To intensify cooperation, it launched the "Security and Defense Initiative" (Esdi) – focusing on AI, drones, space, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. A joint "Defense Academy" is also planned. Elnet sees Israel as a driver of innovation and Germany as a lucrative security market. Participating German companies include Dussmann ("Code Blue"), Rohde & Schwarz, Lufthansa Technik Defense, and the tank transmission manufacturer Renk.

The Federal Ministry of Defense confirmed its participation in the Elnet initiative in response to an inquiry from "nd." The ministry cited the purchase of the Arrow air defense system as well as "joint projects, exercises, and innovations" – for example, in counterterrorism and "capability development of the armed forces" – as examples. At the ESDI launch on July 10, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr delivered a keynote speech on the cooperation. However, the ministry stated that it "does not want to comment further yet."

With Esdi, Elnet is also paving the way for a "cyber and security pact" that the German government intends to conclude with Israel. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) recently announced a "five-point plan" for this during a visit to Tel Aviv. The goal is to expand military, intelligence, and cyber cooperation – possibly including with former employees of the notorious "Unit 8200," which is responsible for military digital operations. They occupy key positions in Israel's tech industry, and the NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware, which is used by governments around the world against journalists and activists, have gained international notoriety. An investigation also revealed that "Unit 8200" has developed an AI-based language model trained on billions of intercepted conversations of Palestinians.

Dobrindt's plan includes: First, intensified cooperation in cyber defense. Second, the establishment of a center for German-Israeli cyber research. Third, Germany could benefit from Israeli drone defense technology. Fourth, a redesign of German civil protection based on the Israeli model is sought. Fifth, intelligence cooperation is to be expanded—particularly between the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Mossad. According to Dobrindt, this should strengthen not only military but also "society's defense capability"—presumably also as a replacement for the ailing US cooperation under President Donald Trump.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior only gave the "near future" timeline for concluding the pact to "nd." Left Party MP Jan Köstering, spokesperson for civil protection, submitted a parliamentary inquiry requesting insight into Germany's negotiating position. The response: "Since the cyber and security pact has not yet been agreed upon, no further details can be provided at this time." Köstering expressed irritation: Agreements with Israel without transparency towards the Bundestag are not legitimate government policy, but rather "head-through-the-wall" policy.