# AI Made the List, but Humans Still Did the Killing

> Israeli soldiers in NAZA documentary reveal AI systems killed civilians in Gaza war.
- Title: AI Made the List, but Humans Still Did the Killing | Shortify
- Summary: Israeli soldiers in NAZA documentary reveal AI systems killed civilians in Gaza war. Israeli soldiers in NAZA documentary describe AI systems killing…
- Keywords: naza, gaza, israel, idf, ai warfare, collateral damage, hamas, palestine, military strikes, civilian deaths, Made, List
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/10/05/israel-gaza-palestine-ai-war-naza-civilians
- Author: Sharon Weinberger
- Published: 2026-10-07T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: naza, gaza, israel, idf, ai warfare, collateral damage, hamas, palestine, military strikes, civilian deaths
## NAZA documentary
Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor made a 80-minute film about IDF soldiers' role in Gaza war.

> The nearly 80-minute film takes us far away from the tiresome tech doomers
## AI systems in Gaza war
The film focuses on AI systems like Lavender and Where’s Daddy used in Israeli military operations.

> ‘You have to trust the system,’ one soldier recalls an officer telling him
## Where’s Daddy system
Where’s Daddy uses children’s cellphones to track Hamas targets returning home.

> the resulting strikes would kill the suspected Hamas member but typically also his family
## Collateral damage
Israeli strikes killed up to 50 civilians per strike as collateral damage.

> the Israeli military sometimes knowingly allowed dozens of noncombatants to be killed
## Soldiers' moral responsibility
Soldiers feel responsible for civilian deaths despite AI systems absolving humans of moral choices.

> the humans who appear in NAZA clearly feel responsible
## Hamas attack impact
Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 others in October 2023.

> fighters from Hamas and other groups brutally killed some 1,200 people
## Israeli trauma
Soldiers describe hearing children's screams and seeing dogs eating dead bodies in Gaza.

> hearing the screams of children through his headphones as they were killed in airstrikes
## AI moral justification
AI systems give military a veneer of legitimacy while absolving humans of moral responsibility.

> AI gives soldiers a certain remove from decision-making and imbues systems with virtue
## Human responsibility
Israeli soldiers created system that killed extended families and destroyed hospitals in Gaza.

> Israelis, the victims of so much suffering, lost their moral core that day
## Civilian death toll
At least 74,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza war according to health authorities.

> the war has killed at least 74,000 Palestinians in Gaza
## AI's role in war
AI systems choose targets faster but don't avoid civilian deaths.

> there is so far no evidence that AI is better at selecting military targets and avoiding civilian deaths
## Hollywood comparison
Hollywood shows humans give AI power that leads to destruction.

> the real danger is not necessarily the computers devoid of empathy but the deluded humans who gave them that power
## AI's true impact
AI systems kill more people than humans could gather on their own.

> it may just spit out more names than humans could possibly gather on their own
## Key takeaway

Israeli soldiers in NAZA documentary describe AI systems killing civilians in Gaza war despite claims of moral absolution.