"NAZA": Israeli military issues statement on film
Still from the documentary "NAZA"Image: Venice Film Festival/AP Photo/picture allianceAdvertisementWhen it premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in mid-September, "NAZA" received a 25-minute-long standing ovation and the Special Jury Prize. But in Israel, the documentary has fueled heated debate.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar described the work of filmmakers Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham "treason against the state" and urged that their citizenship be revoked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also sharply criticized the documentary.
Now the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has also rejected the film's allegations about its conduct during the war in Gaza. In a multi-page document, the military accuses the filmmakers of presenting a "distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture." The film, it says, is based on "substantial factual errors" resulting from "manipulative misrepresentations of reality."
The 80-minute documentary examines the Israel Defense Forces' operations during the war in Gaza. It is based on interviews conducted with 24 anonymous military and intelligence personnel, who describe internal procedures and decision-making processes involved in selecting targets in the Gaza Strip. According to the interviewees, high civilian casualty estimates were, in some cases, deliberately factored into these decisions.
The IDF rejects those claims. It says it has never planned or carried out attacks while anticipating hundreds of civilian deaths. It also disputes the film's claim that artificial intelligence selected targets without human oversight, saying people have always made decisions about targets and attacks.
The military also accuses the filmmakers of omitting important facts. According to the IDF, the film fails to show the role of military legal advisors and commanders in reviewing and authorizing attacks or the measures it says it takes to protect civilians. It also argues that the film does not adequately address the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage.
Several human rights organizations and a UN commission have accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza. According to health authorities in Gaza and other sources, at least 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
Speaking at the awards ceremony in Venice in mid-September, co-director Yuval Abraham said: "We believe that the denial of a crime is what helps it persist. That is why it's really, really especially important to us that Israelis watch this film."
Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham also worked on the film "No Other Land," which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2025.
"NAZA" comes from the Hebrew term "Nezek Agavi," meaning collateral damage. According to a soldier interviewed in the film, the acronym is used within the military to refer to the estimated number of civilians who could be killed in an attack.
Numerous human rights organizations, including the Israeli group B'Tselem, have expressed their support for the filmmakers. After its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, "NAZA" is now showing in theaters worldwide.
This article was originally published in German.
