Image Credentials: Image Title: sraeli Intelligence Reportedly Using Microsoft Cloud to Store Mass Surveillance Data on Palestinians Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: August 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
A new joint investigation by The Guardian and Israeli magazine Sikha Mekomit has revealed that Israeli military intelligence is using Microsoft’s cloud services to store vast amounts of surveillance data on Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to the report, Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Unit 8200, the country’s elite signals intelligence division, has been intercepting millions of phone calls and storing recordings and metadata on Microsoft’s Azure cloud servers. Sources say this project represents one of the most expansive surveillance operations in the world.
Microsoft–IDF Meeting in Seattle
The investigation cites 11 sources, including individuals from Microsoft and Israeli security services. It reports that in November 2021, Unit 8200 commander Brigadier General Yossi Sriel met with Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, at the company’s headquarters in Seattle. During the meeting, Sriel allegedly proposed transferring 70 percent of the unit’s intelligence data to Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. This included files marked “secret” and “top secret.”
Internal documents leaked to The Guardian show that Microsoft later hosted 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military intelligence data on servers in the Netherlands, with smaller amounts stored in Ireland and Israel. The files are said to contain the equivalent of 862 billion documents or nearly 200 million hours of audio recordings.
Microsoft’s Azure platform is being used by Israeli military intelligence to store and analyse vast volumes of intercepted Palestinian phone calls, supporting Israel’s military operations in Palestine’s Gaza and occupied West Bank pic.twitter.com/f7mdd7VFyD
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 7, 2025
“A Million Calls Per Hour”
An intelligence officer described the system as capable of processing “a million calls per hour.” Sources told reporters that the data was not limited to targeted surveillance but instead represented a broad, mass collection program. Artificial intelligence and smart search tools were then used to generate insights on the Palestinian population as a whole.
According to three Israeli sources, this data directly supported military actions. Information stored on Microsoft servers reportedly helped the IDF plan airstrikes in Gaza after October 7, 2023, and facilitated arrests in the West Bank. One intelligence officer explained that as Israel realized Gaza would remain under long-term military control, reliance on external cloud infrastructure grew.
Civilian Population Under Watch
Unlike traditional intelligence operations targeting armed groups, Unit 8200’s data program reportedly treated the entire Palestinian civilian population as subjects of surveillance. A former officer stated, “Suddenly, the public is our enemy. We are dealing with a civilian population, not an army or a terrorist group.”
Pressure on Microsoft
These revelations have placed Microsoft under renewed scrutiny. Just last month, 60 of the company’s investors, holding a combined $80 million in shares, demanded an internal review of how Microsoft’s AI tools are being used, amid allegations of complicity in international crimes.
In response to the report, Microsoft reiterated that it had “at no time” been aware that its services were being used to collect civilian communications, including during an external review it commissioned.
Meanwhile, Sikha Mekomit previously reported that the Israeli military also stores surveillance data on Amazon’s servers, raising further questions about the role of American tech companies in Israel’s intelligence infrastructure.
As the investigation sparks global debate, it remains unclear how much oversight Microsoft maintains over the use of its technology by state intelligence agencies, and what accountability—if any—might follow.
References
- The Guardian. (2025). Israeli intelligence is storing intercepted Palestinian phone calls on Microsoft’s cloud, an investigation reveals. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com
- Sikha Mekomit. (2025). Unit 8200 and Microsoft: Israel’s mass surveillance project exposed. Retrieved from https://www.localcall.org.il
- Israel Defense Forces (IDF). (n.d.). Unit 8200: Signals intelligence and cyber warfare. Retrieved from https://www.idf.il
- BBC News. (2025). Microsoft faces investor pressure over role in Israeli surveillance program. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com
Staff Writers at Open Chronicle produce in-depth, field-informed reporting on defense, diplomacy, cultural transformation, and global affairs. Known for clarity, accuracy, and analytical depth, they connect breaking developments to broader historical and strategic contexts. In addition to frontline journalism, Staff Writers also contribute to the Open Chronicle Encyclopedia, crafting authoritative entries that preserve critical knowledge and enrich public understanding.