Instead of identifying 50 terrorists a month – the IDF can now identify a hundred a day.

By Hezy Laing

The IDF has deployed advanced facial recognition technology in Gaza to identify Hamas terrorists and locate hostages, using AI-powered systems developed by Unit 8200 and private tech firms.

This marks a major shift in battlefield surveillance and counterterrorism.
Here’s how the IDF is using facial recognition in its operations:

AI-Driven Surveillance
The IDF’s Unit 8200, its elite cyber-intelligence division, has integrated facial recognition software into drone footage analysis, checkpoint monitoring, and urban surveillance.

These tools allow analysts to identify individuals from grainy images, match them against databases, and flag suspected Hamas operatives.

Google Photos & Corsight Technologies
According to reports, the IDF has used Google Photos-style facial clustering and software from Corsight Technologies.

These systems can scan thousands of faces in real time, even under poor lighting or partial visibility.

Target Identification & Hostage Recovery
Initially deployed to locate Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks, the technology has since expanded to identifying Hamas fighters, including those hiding among civilians.

One example includes the targeting of Ibrahim Biari, a senior Hamas commander, whose location was confirmed using facial recognition before a precision strike.

The “Lavender” System
A classified AI system called Lavender reportedly selected tens of thousands of potential Hamas targets based on facial and behavioral data.

Checkpoint Security
Israel has also increasingly relied on AI-driven facial recognition at security checkpoints. The IDF uses these systems to scan the faces of passing individuals and to detain those flagged as having ties to Hamas.

In fact, some border guards now fear making errors and tend to assume that the AI is more accurate than they could be, leading to false positives. The Israeli firm behind the facial recognition system claims its technology can accurately recognize a face even if 50 percent is obscured.

Expanded Usage
While facial recognition technology has been used in the region for over a decade, Israel has significantly expanded its use during the current war, using tools developed by Corsight, a private Israeli company, to scan and cross-reference the faces of Palestinian residents against a “wanted persons” database.

If the algorithm identifies a match, they are detained for questioning.

This fusion of biometric tech and military intelligence represents an exciting new frontier in counterterrorism.