The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties, +972 and Local Call reveal. | In 2021, a book titled “The Human-Machine Team: How to Create Synergy Between Human and Artificial Intelligence That Will Revolutionize Our World” was released in English under the pen name “Brigadier General Y.S.” In it, the author — a man who we confirmed to be the current commander of the elite Israeli intelligence unit 8200 — makes the case for designing a special machine that could rapidly process massive amounts of data to generate thousands of potential “targets” for military strikes in the heat of a war. Such technology, he writes, would resolve what he described as a “human bottleneck for both locating the new targets and decision-making to approve the targets.” Such a machine, it turns out, actually exists.

■ ‘AI-assisted genocide’: Israel reportedly used database for Gaza kill lists (Al Jazeera)

■ APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE IN THE GAZA STRIP (ORDER OF 26 JANUARY 2024) (.pdf) + APPLICATION INSTITUTING PROCEEDINGS (.pdf)
■ THE EXPRESSION OF HATRED FOR GENTILES (Richard Edmondson/Nahida Izzat) (10/04/14)

On Thursday dawn and morning hours, Israeli soldiers invaded and ransacked dozens of homes across the occupied West Bank, and abducted at least 40 Palestinians, including siblings, in addition to fathers and sons. | In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers abducted twelve Palestinians in Biddu town, northwest of the city, identified as Mohammad Ashraf Mansour, Malek Jamal Khdour, Omar Ahmad Khdour, Abdullah Jamal Mansour, Eid Fawzi Abu Eid, Mohammad Eid Fawzi Abu Eid, Taha Mahmoud Sheikh, Ayham Najeeb Badwan, Zarif Mohammad Khdour, Emad Jamil Sheikh, Abdul-Wahab Jamal Khdour, and Hamad Amin Saada. ● The soldiers also abducted a Palestinian woman, Thurayya Zahran from her home in Beit Surik, northwest of Jerusalem, and Jihad Mohammad Al-Ammouri, from Beit Ejza, north of the city. ● In Hebron, in the West Bank’s southern part, the soldiers abducted Osaid Adel Tarda, from his home in Taffouh town, west of the city, and invaded an under-construction home in Yatta town, south of Hebron, before forcing Palestinian workers to stop the construction and leave the area. ● In addition, the soldiers confiscated two Palestinian cars, owned by Ibrahim Hawamda and Mousa Rawashda in Sammu’ town, south of Hebron, after the army stormed and ransacked dozens of homes.

■ ‘AI-assisted genocide’: Israel reportedly used database for Gaza kill lists (Al Jazeera)

The UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories says the “Israeli” military has “intentionally killed” aid workers of the World Central Kitchen [WCK] in the Gaza Strip. | Francesca Albanese made the remarks in a on social media post on Tuesday, after seven employees of the WCK food aid charity were killed in an “Israeli” airstrike in Deir al-Balah earlier in the day. The human rights expert went on to say that the “Israeli” military’s deliberate attack on the aid convoy of WCK, which is responsible for distributing food aid among the Palestinian people in Gaza, was meant to scare donors of humanitarian relief and ensure the continued starvation of Palestinians in the besieged territory.

■ The “Israeli” Occupation Claims Another Victim: A Foreign Aid Team (Alahed News)(InfoGraphic)

The move would “create problems” for Paris, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said | Sending troops to Ukraine would be disastrous for France, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, during a rare phone call on Wednesday. The one-hour call was the first conversation between the defense chiefs since October 2022. ● According to the readout provided by the Russian Defense Ministry, Shoigu warned that France “will create problems for itself” if it sends troops to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly floated the idea of having NATO boots on the ground, suggesting that “all options are possible.” He stressed, however, that Paris has no such plans at the moment. Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said in February that France could at some point send demining and other non-combat personnel. ● Moscow has stated that it will treat Western troops and foreign-supplied weapons systems on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets. The deployment of foreign forces would be a major escalation, leading to “irreparable consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned last month.

■ Conflict May Go Beyond Ukraine if NATO Allies Make 'Adventurous' Moves - Russia's Deputy FM (Sputnik News)

Ukraine Plans to Destroy the Crimean Bridge Very Soon | Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) is reportedly planning the destruction of the Crimean bridge within the next three months. The bridge, which connects Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula, has long been a contentious symbol of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. ● According to sources cited by the Guardian, the GUR is behind a series of successful attacks on Russian oil refineries and now sets its sights on the strategic bridge. While the destruction of the bridge would deal a significant blow to Russian control over Crimea, it also poses a formidable challenge given the structure's robust defenses. ● The Crimean bridge holds immense symbolic value for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who views its construction as a testament to Russia's territorial integrity. Conversely, for Ukraine, the bridge represents the illegal annexation of Crimea and serves as a rallying point for efforts to reclaim the region.

Lucas Leiroz | Kiev regime using religious icons to infiltrate bombs in Russia | There seem to be no limits to the terrorism carried out by the neo-Nazi regime. Recently, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) intercepted a shipment of explosives sent from Ukraine. The bombs were disguised as Orthodox religious icons. If they had not been quickly captured by Russian security forces, these explosives would certainly kill many innocent people. ● The cargo was seized on the border between Russia and Latvia. The origin of the packages was Ukraine, but several European countries had been crossed on the journey, such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The cargo included "four homemade bombs, 10 kg of high-industrial plastic explosives, 91 electronic detonators, and parts of an RPG-7 warhead." Speaking to the media, experts said that this equipment would be enough to destroy a five-story apartment block.

ING | German investigators have unearthed a suspected Hamas weapons stockpile in Bulgaria, as reported by Die Zeit. The discovery, confirmed by Deutsche Welle, Spiegel, and ARD, came after the arrest of Hamas-affiliated individuals in mid-December. A mobile phone seized during the arrest contained images of firearms and related equipment, leading authorities to the hidden cache. ● The digital trail from the photos directed investigators to a location in southern Bulgaria, where firearms were found buried under a tree in a plastic bag. Some of the recovered weapons showed signs of rust. The suspects, detained in Germany and the Netherlands, allegedly intended to transport the arms to Berlin for potential attacks on Jewish institutions across Europe. [...] Several of the suspects have traveled repeatedly to Poland, but the existence of a hiding place has not been established with certainty. German authorities were tipped off by Israeli intelligence.

13-years into a bloody civil war the US has financed, Syria remains fractured, controlled in parts by no less than seven factions. | The United States wants to create “another Kosovo” in Syria while cutting off the country’s resources from its adversaries in the region, investigative Syrian-American journalist Hekmat Aboukhater told Sputnik’s Political Misfits on Wednesday. ● Aboukhater was speaking about the fractured state of Syria and the US control in the northeast of the country, ”This area happens to be the place where we have our oil derricks, all of Syria’s natural resources are there, along with the wheat,” he explained, noting that Syria produces 350-400,000 barrels of oil a day. “These revenues are going [towards] sustaining this Kurdish enclave that’s supported by the US and funds the operation.”

Global condemnation of the apartheid “Israeli” entity’s attack on Iran's consulate in Syria surges as the UN Security Council has held an emergency meeting over the deadly strike. | The UNSC session was held at the request of Russia on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the deadly “Israeli” aggression on the Consular Section of the Iranian Embassy in the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus on April 1. “Israeli” warplanes bombed the diplomatic building, killing seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG]. Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRG’s Quds Force, and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among the martyrs of the terrorist attack. Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary general for the Middle East at the UN, said in his address that the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states must be respected under international law.

■ Israeli attack on humanitarian aid workers in Gaza draws ire from EU, Belgium (Yeni Şafak)
■ 'Horrified and heartbroken': Aid NGOs suspend ops after WCK massacre (Al Mayadeen)

Several intelligence sources are confirming "significant activity" at Iran long-range missile sites in the west and north of the country. Retaliation against Israel for bombing an Embassy in Damascus, is pending. | Yesterday, Israel violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations when it bombed a building in Damascus, Syria, directly next to the Iran Embassy! It was the Ambassador's Official residence situated ON the Embassy compound; Iran sovereign territory! ● Several high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in the attack, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi - a commander in the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards. He is the highest-ranking Iranian official killed in an Israeli attack. ● If Iran plans retaliation, it's likely to occur tonight, as it marks the 23rd night of Ramadan, a significant occasion for Shia Muslims. Tonight, however, may prove too soon. Should retaliation not occur tonight, it may coincide with a funeral, a common time for Iranian retaliation. ● Expectations are high regarding Iran's response this time. Iran's Parliament Vice-Speaker Mojtaba Zonnouri cautioned Israel to anticipate retaliation within its borders, stressing that diplomatic missions are considered part of sovereign territory. ● The Israeli Defense Force, after making the attack, was placed on high alert. The U.S. military has started recalling veteran retirees and is ordering them to report for active duty, citing Executive Order 13223 from the Bush administration in 2001.

■ Israel’s war on Gaza live: Troops denied leave as Iran threatens revenge (Al Jazeera)
■ Iranian hardliners demand military response to Israel's attack on diplomatic mission in Syria (The New Arab)
■ Israel Bombs Iranian Ambassador's Residence on Embassy Grounds in Damascus (Hal Turner)(01 April 2024)