WASHINGTON, September 25, 2025 (WAFA) – Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has disabled a range of cloud computing and artificial intelligence services used by a unit within Israel's Ministry of Defense, following an internal review that found preliminary evidence supporting media reports about a surveillance system operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company launched the review after The Guardian published a report that an Israeli military monitoring agency had relied on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to store vast amounts of intercepted Palestinian phone calls.

A joint investigation cited by The Guardian reported that Israel had made extensive use of Microsoft’s cloud services in its mass surveillance of Palestinians.

The company confirmed it found evidence consistent with elements of the report, including the Defense Ministry’s use of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and its application of AI services.

Smith wrote in a Microsoft blog post that the company does not provide technology for the purpose of enabling mass surveillance of civilians. He emphasized that the suspension would not affect cybersecurity services the company continues to provide to Israel and other Middle Eastern states.

In late August, Microsoft fired four employees who participated in protests over the company’s ties to Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, including two who staged a sit-in at the company president’s office. The firm said the dismissals were due to “serious policy violations,” claiming that on-site demonstrations had raised “significant safety concerns.”

M.N