A recent New York Times article, while presenting itself as groundbreaking, reveals long-known facts about Israeli military actions, while simultaneously downplaying their severity.
The New York Times recently acknowledged the Israeli military’s authorization of extensive civilian casualties, described as “collateral damage.” However, the article omits crucial previously reported data, thus softening the impact of its purported revelations.
The December 26th article reveals an Israeli order permitting the killing of up to 20 civilians per low-level Hamas target, an unprecedented action according to the article.
However, an earlier report by +972 Magazine in April 2024, citing Israeli military sources, detailed far more alarming figures regarding acceptable “collateral damage.”
The +972 article revealed that the Israeli airstrike killing Hamas commander Wisam Farhat was authorized to kill 100 civilians. Even more shockingly, in the case of Hamas commander Ayman Nofal, the authorization reportedly permitted the deaths of approximately 300 civilians.
While the New York Times briefly mentions the +972 Magazine report, it dismisses it based on denials from the Israeli military. However, +972 Magazine’s investigation predates April 2024, with an earlier report citing a source who claimed that permitted civilian deaths as collateral damage had escalated from dozens to hundreds.
The New York Times article’s emphasis on the unprecedented nature of these high civilian casualty numbers is misleading, as the IDF has a long history of accepting significant civilian casualties, as evidenced by numerous UN reports.
This pattern of accepting high levels of “collateral damage” is not limited to Gaza, but has also occurred in Lebanon. The assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah resulted in the destruction of numerous civilian buildings in southern Beirut.
The New York Times article presents no new information, merely confirming previously reported events while minimizing their significance through omission of key details and reliance on established narratives.
For example, the article repeats the often-disputed claim that Hamas intentionally uses civilians as human shields, a claim that has been challenged repeatedly.
However, it is undeniable that a significant number of civilian casualties occurred, as extensively documented throughout the conflict.
The NYT states that from November 2023 onward, Israel reduced ammunition use and tightened rules of engagement, halving the acceptable number of civilian casualties in strikes targeting low-ranking militants. The source for this information is solely Israeli soldiers and officials.
The article provides no independent verification of this claim, offering no evidence to support the assertion of an average of only ten civilian deaths per low-ranking Hamas fighter. The article does not offer any independent verification of the numbers of “Hamas fighters” killed.
Israel’s official figures for alleged Hamas militants killed vastly underreport the number of deaths documented by the United Nations. The reported near 46,000 deaths in Gaza, with 10,000 missing and presumed dead, would require a far higher number of “Hamas fighters” killed than Israel claims, implying either a significant underreporting of civilian deaths or a massive escalation of killings after November 2023.
Furthermore, the April 3rd +972 article provides detailed insight into the Israeli army’s use of AI targeting systems, highlighting the inaccuracy of the targets generated. The investigation revealed that less expensive unguided munitions were often used on lower-level targets to avoid wasting resources.
The +972 report also noted that while human verification of AI-selected targets is required, this often amounts to simply confirming the target’s gender (male), taking an average of 20 seconds before authorizing the strike.
The New York Times article fails to mention the killing of civilians in areas without military targets, or the extensive torture, sexual abuse, and demolition of homes. The article frames the events as a case of excessive military force following the October 7th Hamas attack.