Microsoft Admits to Providing “Emergency Assistance” to Israel in Hostage Operations

In a first-of-its-kind admission, tech giant Microsoft has acknowledged that it hired an external firm to investigate whether the Israeli military has used its cloud services and artificial intelligence to harm civilians in Gaza—following months of protests from anti-war activists and employees.

This unprecedented step came after The Guardian published a report revealing ties between Microsoft and Israeli security officials. In an official statement, Microsoft said:

“We found no evidence that Microsoft Azure technologies or AI were used to harm civilians in the Gaza conflict.”

The investigation reportedly involved interviews with dozens of employees and a review of internal documents. However, Microsoft did not disclose the name of the external firm that carried out the inquiry.

For the first time, the company confirmed that it provided what it described as “emergency assistance” to the Israeli government after the October 7, 2023 events, aimed at “technologically supporting efforts to rescue hostages.”

According to Microsoft, the aid was granted under tight supervision, with each request individually assessed—some approved and others denied—while prioritising the protection of Gaza residents’ privacy and rights.

The company clarified that Israel’s Ministry of Defense already receives professional services, including software, cloud computing, and AI support—describing it as a “standard commercial relationship.” It added that clients must comply with Microsoft’s ethics and use policies, which prohibit causing harm.

“Militaries usually operate with custom-developed systems from security vendors,” Microsoft stated, adding that it “has no visibility into how its technology is actually used on private servers or in localised environments.”

In other words, Microsoft admits it has “no full control over how its software is used once sold.”

As a result, the campaign “No Azure for Apartheid”—led by current and former employees—accuses Microsoft of complicity in Israeli war crimes. One of the movement’s lead voices, Hussam Nasr, slammed the company’s statement as “full of contradictions and lies,” pointing out that “the word ‘Palestinian’ wasn’t even mentioned once.”

Tensions peaked when two former employees disrupted executive speeches during Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Both were dismissed days later.

Activists continue to demand an end to all collaboration with the Israeli military and full transparency regarding Microsoft’s ties to the Israeli government.

Microsoft has not denied reports claiming it provided Israel’s military with 19,000 hours of engineering and consulting services—worth an estimated $10 million.

The company also declined to address allegations regarding the use of OpenAI-powered tools for translating texts and audio recordings.

For Microsoft, admitting to the investigation and its role in hostage-related support marks a rare departure from the usual silence observed by U.S. tech firms on politically sensitive issues—often to protect their business interests and public image.