Gaza as a Human Laboratory.. Human Rights Activist Attacks 'Blood Festival' at Israeli Defense Exhibition 2026

The past few days witnessed the launch of the Defense Technology Exhibition (Israel 2026), which is considered the largest of its kind since the outbreak of the genocide war in the Gaza Strip. Writer and human rights activist Sapir Sluzker-Amran described this event as a 'blood festival,' considering it the peak of investment in human suffering to achieve commercial gains.

Amran revealed in an article published by Haaretz that the organizers promoted the exhibition through economic platforms, emphasizing that the displayed technologies are 'combat-proven' in the recent conflict. This description reflects, according to the writer, a mindset that considers killing and destruction a professional achievement that can be marketed like any other consumer product without any regard for ethical context.

The legal activist explained that terms like 'innovative under fire' actually mean that these deadly systems have been tested on the bodies of hundreds of victims who fell in one day. She added that manufacturing companies openly boast about turning the Gaza Strip into an open human laboratory, primarily aimed at raising the market value of their shares and reaping huge profits from the blood of civilians.

The exhibition included the display of video clips, some of which were taken from 'TikTok,' showing acts of extermination of civilians and entire families using these modern technologies. The writer criticized the absence of any discussion about the failures of these systems or the ethical standards for using artificial intelligence in making killing decisions, which reduces the human role and turns war into a cold, automated process.

Economically, reports indicated a massive jump in Israeli arms sales, which increased by more than 18% over the past two years, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data. These figures reflect the extent to which economic growth in the defense sector is linked to the continuation of intensive military operations in the Palestinian territories.

The value of purchase orders in the Israeli defense industries reached approximately $68.4 billion by the end of 2024, marking a 38% increase compared to the previous year. This steady growth indicates Israel's transformation into a major supplier of military technologies that are tested and developed under real war conditions.

For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed that defense exports broke records for the fourth consecutive year, exceeding $14.7 billion in 2024. This 13% increase over the previous year confirms that the 'blood economy' has become a fundamental pillar of the financial policy of the Hebrew state.

The writer expressed her disgust at the deep gap between the reality of ongoing violence in Gaza and the language of innovation and growth that prevailed in the exhibition halls. She considered that the attempt to frame bloodshed as an investment opportunity reflects an unprecedented moral decline in Israeli society and the institutions participating in this event.

In an attempt to break this consensus, a group of activists, including Amran, stormed the exhibition and raised banners accusing visitors of participating in war crimes. Protesters carried pictures of children killed by the technologies that participants came to examine, which caused a state of astonishment and denial among attendees who considered the event merely a routine professional activity.

Amran stressed that the goal of the protest was not to convince the beneficiaries of the system, but to break the silence that grants public legitimacy to such conferences. She pointed out that the participation of academics and experts in these events contributes to normalizing killing and portraying it as a neutral technical act stripped of its criminal context.

The writer concluded her article by emphasizing social responsibility in confronting the 'normalization of genocide,' calling for speaking the truth as it is without embellishment. She stressed the need not to allow war profiteers to enjoy a prestigious public status, and to work to expose the true face of military innovations that feed on the lives of innocent people in Gaza.

The advertisement openly and shamelessly boasts that Gaza is the laboratory that enables manufacturers to reap more profits, and that the only numbers that matter to them are the market value of their companies.