Microsoft provides data storage for Israeli military
is providing data centre storage to the
Israeli
military, but the company has denied any involvement in surveillance of the Palestinian population in
Gaza
or the
West Bank
.
A report by the Guardian newspaper alleges that an Israeli military agency, Unit 8200, has developed a surveillance system that includes the collection and storage of audio from millions of telephone calls and other communications material.
The Guardian says this enormous data trove feeds into the planning of Israeli military attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, according to unidentified Unit 8200 sources quoted by the newspaper.
A Microsoft spokesperson in Ireland said Microsoft's engagement with Unit 8200 was based on enhancing cybersecurity and protecting against potential cyber threats.
READ MORE
'At no point during this engagement has Microsoft been aware of, or involved in, any surveillance of civilians using Microsoft's services, including through the external review we commissioned [earlier this year],' the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the specific involvement of Irish data centres in the provision of storage facilities to Unit 8200.
A customised and segregated area of Microsoft's Azure cloud platform is being used to store the material being collected, the Guardian report said.
Leaked files from Microsoft suggest a 'large proportion' of the sensitive data is being stored by Microsoft in the Netherlands and in Ireland, it said.
Guardian reporter Harry Davies told The Irish Times the most recent of the leaked files he reviewed showed just 1 per cent of the data was being held in Ireland as of last month.
However, the amount of data involved is still enormous.
The leaked files suggest 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data, equivalent to about 200 million hours of audio, were being held by Microsoft in July in the Netherlands and in Ireland, the report said.
There was no response to a request for comment from the
Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
.
Microsoft and its
subsidiary employ about 6,000 in the Republic of Ireland.
A Microsoft source told the Guardian the company stipulated to the Israeli military that its systems could not be used for identifying 'targets' in Gaza.
However, Israeli military sources told the Guardian the huge amount of data being stored was used to research and identify targets, including in Gaza.
There have been numerous reports that the Israeli military is using digital tools, including surveillance and
artificial intelligence
(AI), to plan targeted attacks in Gaza.
According to the Guardian, Microsoft's chief executive,
Satya Nadella
, met the then head of Unit 8200, Yossi Sariel, in Seattle in late 2021 to discuss the use of a segregated area of the Azure platform for the storage of Israeli military data.
The valuable deal for Microsoft was negotiated after Israel decided it did not have the storage capacity or computing power on its military servers to house the Palestinian population's phone calls.
Last September Mr Sariel announced his resignation from Unit 8200 about a year after Israeli military intelligence failed to detect the
Hamas
plan to attack Israel from Gaza on October 7th, 2023, the event that sparked the war.
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MICROSOFT IS PROVIDING cloud storage services to Israel's military intelligence agency, Unit 8200, according to a major investigation by the Guardian. The report reveals that Unit 8200 uses Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store millions of Palestinian phone calls every day. Some of this data is held in Microsoft data centres in Ireland and the Netherlands. The system, which has been operating since 2022, archives large volumes of audio recordings and phone calls from Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank. Leaked Microsoft documents and Israeli military sources say this information has been used to plan military operations, including airstrikes. Microsoft denies any involvement in spying on civilians. A spokesperson in Ireland said the company's work with Unit 8200 focuses solely on improving cybersecurity and protecting against cyber threats. They added that Microsoft was never aware of, or involved in, surveillance of civilians, a position supported by an external review commissioned earlier this year. However, the spokesperson did not comment on the specific role of Irish data centres in storing Unit 8200's data. Microsoft employs about 6,000 people in Ireland. Microsoft's data centre at Grange Park in Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The Guardian's report also reveals that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met with Unit 8200 commander Yossi Sariel in late 2021 to discuss using a dedicated section of the Azure cloud for Israeli military data. Advertisement While Nadella supported the idea of moving large amounts of data to the cloud, Microsoft says he was not informed about the exact nature of the information. Leaked files show that by July 2025, around 11,500 terabytes (equivalent to 200 million hours of audio) were stored mainly in Microsoft's Netherlands data centres, with about 1% held in Ireland. Although a small proportion, this still amounts to nearly 2 million hours of audio. Unit 8200 is Israel's top military intelligence unit, similar to the US National Security Agency. It turned to Microsoft after its own servers lacked the capacity to store and process the vast amount of surveillance data. The system captures millions of phone calls from ordinary Palestinians, many civilians, indiscriminately. Some Israeli military sources have admitted this data has been used to identify targets for strikes, despite Microsoft's insistence that its technology is not intended for lethal targeting. The project expanded under Sariel's leadership, who resigned in September 2024 following criticism over intelligence failures related to the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. 'Facilitating crimes against humanity' Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has criticised the Irish government for allowing data centres here to play a role in Israeli military operations. She called it 'beyond appalling' that 'a key part of Israel's genocidal operations is being prepared and processed on Irish soil.' Boylan warned this raises serious questions about Ireland's responsibility to prevent genocide and uphold international law, and the wisdom of hosting so many data centres here in the first place. The same government who rolled out the red carpet for data centres has allowed them to play a role in facilitating crimes against humanity – damaging our position as a neutral state in the process. She urged the government to act immediately to stop Irish data centres from contributing to 'the targeted killing of innocent Palestinians,' saying 'upholding international law is more important than a free hand for data centres to operate here as they see fit.' The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has been contacted for comment. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Microsoft provides data storage for Israeli military
Microsoft is providing data centre storage to the Israeli military, but the company has denied any involvement in surveillance of the Palestinian population in Gaza or the West Bank . A report by the Guardian newspaper alleges that an Israeli military agency, Unit 8200, has developed a surveillance system that includes the collection and storage of audio from millions of telephone calls and other communications material. The Guardian says this enormous data trove feeds into the planning of Israeli military attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, according to unidentified Unit 8200 sources quoted by the newspaper. A Microsoft spokesperson in Ireland said Microsoft's engagement with Unit 8200 was based on enhancing cybersecurity and protecting against potential cyber threats. READ MORE 'At no point during this engagement has Microsoft been aware of, or involved in, any surveillance of civilians using Microsoft's services, including through the external review we commissioned [earlier this year],' the spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the specific involvement of Irish data centres in the provision of storage facilities to Unit 8200. A customised and segregated area of Microsoft's Azure cloud platform is being used to store the material being collected, the Guardian report said. Leaked files from Microsoft suggest a 'large proportion' of the sensitive data is being stored by Microsoft in the Netherlands and in Ireland, it said. Guardian reporter Harry Davies told The Irish Times the most recent of the leaked files he reviewed showed just 1 per cent of the data was being held in Ireland as of last month. However, the amount of data involved is still enormous. The leaked files suggest 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data, equivalent to about 200 million hours of audio, were being held by Microsoft in July in the Netherlands and in Ireland, the report said. There was no response to a request for comment from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment . Microsoft and its LinkedIn subsidiary employ about 6,000 in the Republic of Ireland. A Microsoft source told the Guardian the company stipulated to the Israeli military that its systems could not be used for identifying 'targets' in Gaza. However, Israeli military sources told the Guardian the huge amount of data being stored was used to research and identify targets, including in Gaza. There have been numerous reports that the Israeli military is using digital tools, including surveillance and artificial intelligence (AI), to plan targeted attacks in Gaza. According to the Guardian, Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella , met the then head of Unit 8200, Yossi Sariel, in Seattle in late 2021 to discuss the use of a segregated area of the Azure platform for the storage of Israeli military data. The valuable deal for Microsoft was negotiated after Israel decided it did not have the storage capacity or computing power on its military servers to house the Palestinian population's phone calls. Last September Mr Sariel announced his resignation from Unit 8200 about a year after Israeli military intelligence failed to detect the Hamas plan to attack Israel from Gaza on October 7th, 2023, the event that sparked the war.
