“3D analyses of violence in the West Bank”

A team of five reporters with The Washington Post analyzed dozens of videos to reconstruct two deadly incidents in the West Bank in February and March of 2023: a shooting in Nablus and a raid in Jenin. The team used 3D modeling, which is extremely difficult to produce, especially in a compressed timeline. The Post had the Nablus story out within just 15 days of the shooting there. In both instances, the team’s findings revealed that Israeli soldiers fired into crowds of civilians, jeopardizing and taking lives.

To render the 3D model of the Nablus shooting site, the Post collected more than 1,000 photos and geospatial site data, processing it through Metashape, a software used by archaeologists and drone companies. The Post used perspective plotting points and camera lens metadata from photographic evidence to recreate the site and the positioning of the civilians. The 3D models demonstrated the civilians would have been seen by the Israeli soldiers who shot them from a tank. The Post also had two audio experts analyze the sounds from the videos to ascertain the veracity of the Israeli soldiers’ statement that a civilian had fired at the convoy. Both of the experts cast doubt on this claim.

In the case of the Jenin raid, four plainclothes security force officers in pursuit of two militants opened fire on a busy street. The Post team collected and reviewed more than 15 videos from the scene, including CCTV footage. The journalists interviewed eyewitnesses to create a 3D model of the incident, which left a 14-year-old child and the two militants dead. In the video, the militants were not visibly armed, and thus, their deaths at the hands of Israeli soldiers could violate Israeli law.

In both cases, the 3D models are dynamic, combining real footage with the detailed and precise rendering to create a reading experience that elicits a visceral and immediate response to the carnage. As a result of the reporting, the international organization Human Rights Watch began an investigation into changes in rules of engagement by Israeli forces.

Article by: Leyla Shokoohe