Ross Burley
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.
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