By Ross Burley, CIR Co-Founder
Since the October 7th attacks, CIR has been conducting sustained open source investigations into the war in Israel, Gaza and the wider region. Much of this work has unfolded away from public view. Some of that was by design: to protect investigators and sources; some because the scale, intensity and sensitivity of the conflict demanded a degree of caution before drawing conclusions or releasing data into an already volatile information environment.
This article is not intended as a comprehensive catalogue of everything CIR has produced on the conflict. Nor is it an advocacy piece. It is, instead, a reflective account of why we undertook this work, how we approached it, and what we believe our investigations have contributed to public understanding, accountability and the historical record.
Why we engaged
Within hours of the attacks of 7 October 2023, CIR analysts began collating and verifying digital evidence emerging from Israel. Like many organisations working in conflict documentation, we were confronted immediately with an overwhelming volume of violent imagery, contradictory claims, and emotionally charged narratives.
What became clear very quickly was that this would be a conflict defined not only by the scale of physical violence, but by an information environment that was unusually hostile, polarised and prone to distortion. Verified data was scarce. Unverified claims travelled fast. Misinformation and deliberate manipulation flourished in the absence of access for most international media.
CIR’s mandate is not to arbitrate politics or pronounce on intent. Our role is narrower, and more demanding: to establish what can be verified, where, when, and on what evidentiary basis. That principle guided our decision to commit long-term resources to this conflict.
What we set out to do
From the outset, we made a strategic choice to prioritise cumulative, longitudinal analysis over rapid reaction commentary. This meant:
- Archiving large volumes of digital content before it could be deleted, altered or lost.
- Applying consistent verification standards across incidents, rather than focusing on isolated viral moments.
- Combining user-generated content with satellite imagery, geospatial analysis, geo and chronolocation and corroborating sources.
Over time, this approach enabled CIR to build one of the most extensive open source datasets on the conflict, covering Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
In late 2024, we began making parts of this dataset public through an interactive map, designed to allow journalists, researchers and policymakers to explore verified incidents themselves, rather than rely solely on headline conclusions.
What the investigations have shown
Across multiple public reports and articles, several consistent findings have emerged:
Scale and pattern of destruction
Satellite analysis conducted by CIR has documented widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure across Gaza, including housing, markets, agricultural land, ports, food systems, schools and hospitals. In some areas, particularly following renewed fighting in 2025, the pace and concentration of destruction suggested systematic processes rather than incidental damage.
By analysing imagery over time, CIR was able to distinguish between pre-existing damage, incremental deterioration, and rapid large-scale clearance – an important distinction for any serious assessment of conduct in war.
Harm to civilians and protected persons
CIR investigations have verified numerous incidents involving the apparent targeting or endangerment of civilians, including unarmed individuals, detainees, people holding white flags, and minors. In some cases, footage indicated degrading treatment or practices prohibited under international humanitarian law, such as the alleged use of human shields.
Our reporting has been careful to distinguish between what can be established with high confidence and what cannot. Attribution is often difficult in open source investigations, and we are explicit when evidence does not allow firm conclusions.
Starvation and food infrastructure
One strand of CIR’s work examined damage to Gaza’s food system, including cropland, fishing vessels, markets and ports. By combining satellite imagery with on-the-ground footage and UN data, our analysts identified patterns consistent with the degradation of civilian survival infrastructure over time, raising serious legal and humanitarian questions.
Information warfare
Alongside physical harm, CIR documented the extent to which misinformation and misattributed footage distorted public debate. Old videos, footage from other conflicts, and even videogame clips circulated widely, often reinforcing pre-existing narratives. This made rigorous verification not merely a technical exercise, but an essential corrective to an increasingly polluted information space. The explosion of AI has exacerbated the problem.
The operational reality
This has been one of the most challenging environments CIR has ever operated in.
Investigators have worked under sustained online harassment, personal threats and intense scrutiny. The emotional toll of reviewing graphic material day after day is significant, particularly when investigators feel that verified findings are immediately dismissed or weaponised by different sides around the discourse.
Internally, we have had to maintain strict methodological discipline while operating in a context where any perceived misstep can undermine months of careful work. Externally, we have resisted pressure to simplify, sensationalise or rush our findings.
That restraint has sometimes been mistaken for timidity. In reality, it reflects an understanding that credibility in conflicts like this is cumulative and fragile.
Why this work matters
Open source investigations are not a substitute for judicial processes, independent commissions or on-the-ground reporting. But they play a critical role when access is restricted, evidence is contested, and time risks erasing accountability.
By preserving verified digital evidence, CIR’s work contributes to:
- Journalistic investigations seeking to establish facts beyond official statements.
- Policymakers attempting to understand patterns rather than isolated incidents.
- Legal and accountability mechanisms that depend on reliable, well-documented source material.
Equally importantly, it provides a public record that is resistant to erasure.
Looking ahead
CIR will continue to monitor and verify incidents related to Israel and Gaza as long as the conflict, and its consequences, persist. We will continue to publish cautiously, transparently, and with an awareness of the human cost behind every data point.
This work is not comfortable, and it is rarely thanked. But in conflicts defined by noise, certainty without evidence, and competing claims to truth, sustained, sober documentation remains essential.
That is why we do it.