The Forensic Architecture Investigation Unit (FAI) is a multidisciplinary team within Al-Haq that utilises cutting-edge spatial analysis, photogrammetry, and architectural tools to document and investigate human rights violations in Palestine. The unit focuses on cases involving killings, demolitions, and settler violence across the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and Gaza, exposing the systemic nature of Israeli violations. Our team combines expertise in 3D modelling, video analysis, and audio forensics to create detailed visual evidence of violence under Israel's settler-colonial apartheid regime.
Image 01: Geolocation analysis from the investigation 'The Shelling of Khudair Warehouse: Chemical Warfare by Indirect Means,' showing the relationship between a moving vehicle and the smoke plume from the warehouse fire.
As a specialised unit within Al-Haq, FAI supports broader legal and advocacy efforts by providing meticulously documented evidence for court cases, media outlets, and international legal mechanisms. Our work enhances Al-Haq’s ability to hold perpetrators accountable by combining on-the-ground field research with advanced spatial and technological methods. The Unit also contributes to public discourse through exhibitions and multimedia platforms that amplify Palestinian experiences under Israel’s settler-colonial apartheid regime.
Image 02: Trajectory analysis from the investigation 'The Extrajudicial Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,' illustrating the line of fire between the sniper's position and Shireen at the moment of the shooting.
We prioritise cases of killings and systematic violence that Palestinians have been subjected to under Israel’s settler-colonial apartheid. Our focus is driven by ongoing field reports, emerging incidents, and collaboration with other civil society organisations. Our team monitors patterns of settler violence and collaborates with other organisations in the spatial analysis field, such as Forensic Architecture, and Earshot. Through these partnerships, we ensure our research is impactful, timely, and aligned with efforts to seek justice and accountability for the Palestinian people.
Image 03: A model of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahya, Gaza, highlighting the locations of nearby airstrikes. From the spatial platform 'Israel’s Attack on Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital.
Unlike other open-source investigation teams, we integrate Al-Haq’s well-established ground-truth practices into our methodologies, focusing on understanding the broader context of each incident. We prioritise testimonies from the ground, which are then corroborated with spatial and scientific evidence to provide a comprehensive understanding of events. This commitment to contextualization and collaboration with local witnesses strengthens the role of individuals in shaping their own realities and futures. It also underscores Al-Haq’s mission to protect the rights of the Palestinian people and achieve self-determination. Our work is unique, as it is deeply rooted in the lived realities of life under settler-colonial apartheid and illegal occupation.
Image 04: A scene from the re-enactment process near the Jenin Refugee Camp, showing the plotting of witness positions during the incident.