U.S. tech giant Microsoft signed contracts worth about $125 million with Israel in the first year of its military campaign in Gaza. Microsoft’s use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to boost the Israeli military’s technological capabilities rose significantly after the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
Multiple prior investigations have found that Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform has been used in various operations by Israeli military and intelligence agencies, allegedly including storing, analyzing and rapidly accessing large volumes of data.
Microsoft’s business relationship with Israel’s Defense Ministry deepened further in the first year of the Gaza war, during which the Israeli military obtained various cloud and AI-related services from the company.
How Microsoft’s technology has been used in Israeli military operations has sparked internal debate at the company. Some employees have protested demanding an end to technology supplies to Israel, and action has been taken against several employees over the issue.
Experts and rights activists allege that cloud computing and AI technology are being used during the war not just for data storage, but potentially for military intelligence operations, surveillance and target selection as well. This has raised international questions about the wartime role of tech companies.
The Israeli military has used technological infrastructure to collect and analyze vast amounts of Palestinians’ phone calls and other data. Rights activists have raised serious concerns about how this data has been used in military operations.
Microsoft has not denied supplying its technology to Israel. The company has said at various points that it is reviewing allegations of misuse of its technology seriously, and has said it is examining whether any specific service was used in violation of international law or company policy.
Meanwhile, debate over tech companies’ relationships with Israel has intensified. Critics ask: even if a tech company does not directly manufacture weapons, how much responsibility does it bear if its cloud, AI and IT infrastructure is used in military operations? This question has become an important part of international discussion.
Against the backdrop of a large number of Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction of infrastructure in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, this debate over the role of technology suppliers has intensified further. As a result, the information about Microsoft’s $125 million contract is not merely a business matter — it raises fresh questions about the relationship between war, technology and corporate accountability.