Microsoft Confirms AI Support To Israeli Military, Denies Role In Gaza Strikes

Microsoft admitted, in an unsigned blog post, that it provided advanced AI and cloud services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war.

The company said it also supported efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. However, Microsoft claimed it found no evidence that its Azure cloud or AI tools were used to target or harm people in Gaza.

This is the first time the company has publicly addressed its role in the conflict, which has killed over 50,000 Palestinians.

This comes nearly three months after an Associated Press investigation exposed Microsoft’s close ties with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

The report said military use of commercial AI surged 200 times after the October 7 Hamas attack, with Israeli forces using Azure to process surveillance data for AI-driven targeting.

A group of current and former Microsoft employees, "No Azure for Apartheid", has urged the company to release its full internal investigation.

Human rights groups have also warned that AI systems—often flawed and error-prone—are increasingly being used to decide who or what to strike, leading to civilian deaths.