Leaked documents: Microsoft is key AI provider for "Israeli" forces

Recent leaked internal documents disclosed that Microsoft has become a significant provider of cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI) to the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), with support notably increasing since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Anadolu Agency.

Documents acquired by Drop Site News indicate that the Israeli Occupation has emerged as one of Microsoft’s key global partners, with engineering support and consultancy expenditures reaching approximately USD 10 million since the beginning of the Gaza attacks.

Read more: Washington Post: Google sold AI tools to "Israeli" army after October 7

Further developments suggest that an additional USD 30 million in support projects is being considered for 2024, potentially raising the total value of "Israel’s" contract with Microsoft significantly, though the exact figure remains unclear from the leaked documents.

The IOF's utilization of Microsoft services has surged dramatically, with cloud storage usage increasing over 155 percent from June 2023 to April 2024, peaking shortly before the Rafah offensive in May 2024.

Microsoft’s translation tools and Azure OpenAI services have emerged as the most heavily used, comprising nearly 75 percent of the military's overall service usage.

Particularly alarming are reports regarding AI-driven technologies, such as Lavender, which analyzes data concerning around 2.3 million Gaza residents to identify potential connections to Hamas.

According to reports from Tel Aviv-based +972 Media, the system initially flagged approximately 37,000 Palestinians as "suspects."

The ongoing aggression in Gaza has triggered what has been described as a "gold rush" for technology companies eager to secure military contracts, with Microsoft reportedly offering substantial discounts to establish defense partnerships with the Israeli Occupation.

These revelations reflect a wider trend of tech companies supporting military operations, paralleling similar reports of Google's AI contributions to the IOF.

Although the total value of Microsoft’s contract with the "Israeli" Defense Ministry has not been publicly disclosed, the leaked documents imply that it extends far beyond the reported support costs.