Interview with Khalil Dewan: Gaza, Drones and Algorithmic Warfare

“What’s happening in Gaza isn’t just war; it’s the architecture of the future conflict built from code.” — Khalil Dewan

In a powerful new interview with UntoldMag, legal investigator and Nomos Scholar Khalil Dewan breaks down the emerging architecture of warfare—one shaped not just by missiles and machines, but by algorithms, surveillance, and legal ambiguity. At the center of this discussion: Gaza—a region increasingly seen as a testing ground for predictive targeting and autonomous warfare technologies.

Drawing on over 15 years of research into the global war on terror, Dewan explores how the strategies once used in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen have now been refined and intensified in Gaza. These are not new tactics—they are the result of two decades of Western experimentation with drones, data, and kill lists.

“We're going after people—often civilians—based on predictive targeting,” Dewan says. “This is the individualisation of warfare.”

The Legacy of 20 Years of Drones

The post-9/11 landscape gave rise to a sprawling drone infrastructure, initially under the banner of counterterrorism. From the CIA’s covert drone war in Pakistan to JSOC operations in Somalia and Yemen, the West developed a playbook of targeted killing, metadata analysis, and signature strikes—practices that have often blurred the lines between combatants and civilians.

Israel, drawing on these strategies, has developed one of the most advanced drone arsenals in the world. In Gaza, this manifests in automated kill lists, facial recognition checkpoints, and AI-assisted targeting systems. Palestinians have become some of the most intensively surveilled populations on Earth, now required to submit biometric data just to access basic aid.

Algorithmic Bias and Legal Manipulation

“States like Israel or the US operate under an enabling posture,” Dewan warns. “Algorithmic bias is now baked into the technology itself.”

Legal frameworks meant to restrict violence have instead been manipulated to justify and automate it. Dewan outlines how lawfare—the strategic use of international law to facilitate state violence—has enabled states to obscure accountability, often shielding lethal actions behind opaque algorithms and confidential threat matrices.

Moving Forward: From Kill Cloud to Accountability

This interview is part of Investigating the Kill Cloud, a collaboration with Disruption Network Lab e.V., which seeks to expose the dark realities behind the rise of AI-powered warfare. Dewan calls for:

• Transparency in algorithmic targeting

• Independent oversight of drone operations

• A moratorium on autonomous weapons

• International legal reforms to protect civilians under digital occupation

  
  

The question is no longer just about military ethics. It’s about the future of sovereignty, privacy, and civilian protection in an age where death is decided by data.

📖 Read the full interview

By Walid El Houri🔗 UntoldMag: Khalil Dewan on the Individualisation of Warfare