The Israeli documentary NAZA, which examines Israeli military and intelligence operations in the Gaza Strip, has sparked widespread outrage in Israel, escalating from political criticism to military discussions over possible legal action and an investigation into the potential leak of classified information. An Israeli minister has also threatened to seek the revocation of the film directors’ citizenship.
Reactions intensified after the film, directed by Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Zor, won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 12.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the film as “shocking incitement,” saying that incitement against Israel from within the country “cannot be tolerated.”
Army Considers Legal Action
In a development that broadened the controversy, Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held a meeting with senior military officials to discuss the film and instructed the military attorney general to examine the possibility of taking legal action related to the film and its creators.
Zamir also ordered an examination of information-security issues and an investigation into the possibility that classified material had been leaked and used in the film’s production.
He further ordered the formation of a multi-agency, multidisciplinary team, headed by the army’s Planning Directorate, to develop mechanisms for responding to what the military described as “false allegations” directed against it and its soldiers.
Zamir said that what had emerged from the film so far did not, in his view, constitute criticism of the military or an attempt to uncover the truth. He accused the film of presenting “false and serious allegations” and deliberately distorting reality.
Zamir later clarified that he had not watched the film and did not know the people interviewed or the sources behind the information presented in it. He added that the allegations and incidents featured in the film had not been presented to the military, making it difficult, he said, to respond to them seriously and professionally.
The Israeli military had requested access to the full film so it could review it and provide a detailed response to the allegations, after its initial position was based on clips and promotional material released about the documentary.
What Does NAZA Show?
The 80-minute film is based on testimonies from 24 unidentified sources within Israel’s military and intelligence establishment. It examines the mechanisms used to gather intelligence, identify targets and conduct airstrikes during the war in Gaza.
The film is titled NAZA, an Israeli military term referring to the expected number of civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes.
According to the film, some testimonies describe the use of artificial intelligence-supported systems in intelligence-gathering and targeting operations, as well as estimates of the number of civilians expected to be present at targeted locations before strikes are carried out.
The documentary also features testimonies and allegations concerning rules of engagement, surveillance of Palestinians, and the targeting of buildings and homes in Gaza. The film presents these accounts based on its military and intelligence sources, while the Israeli military rejects several of the allegations.
The interviews were filmed under measures designed to protect the identities of the sources. Parts of the documentary were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv during a production process that lasted nearly three years.
The film was produced by British newspaper The Guardian and JW Films and directed by Abraham and Zor, two of the four directors of the documentary No Other Land, which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Military Rejects Film’s Allegations
The Israeli military rejected allegations that artificial intelligence is used to make decisions on carrying out airstrikes, insisting that decisions on target selection and strike approval are made by people, not artificial intelligence.
The military specifically denied an allegation featured in the film’s promotional material concerning the planning of a strike that was expected to kill 500 civilians. It said it had not planned, approved or carried out any strike in Gaza expected to kill 500 civilians or a similar number.
The military also questioned whether some of the sources cited in the film were in a position to know details concerning national and military strategy, saying some allegations went beyond the information that could have been available to personnel at lower levels.
It also said that some of the cases addressed in the film involved operations in which members of the Intelligence Directorate, whom the film says were interviewed, would not have been involved due to the nature of their roles.
Zamir said the military would continue to accept what he described as “objective criticism” and examine its performance, while rejecting what he considered to be unfounded accusations.
Threat to Revoke Citizenship
The backlash also reached the government level. Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar called for the Israeli citizenship of Abraham and Zor to be revoked, accusing the directors of “treason.”
Zohar called for an investigation into how the filmmakers obtained the materials and information used in the documentary and whether its production involved violations related to the disclosure of information during the war.
Zohar’s call came amid a series of criticisms from Israeli politicians following the film’s screening in Venice and its Special Jury Prize win.
The fallout extended beyond the government and military. Israeli reports said government bodies, including the Foreign Ministry, held consultations on how to respond to the film and the allegations it presents.
According to the reports, talking points responding to the documentary were prepared and distributed to Israeli diplomats abroad amid international interest in the film following its Venice premiere and award.
The controversy over NAZA has thus moved from the film world into a political, military and media confrontation inside Israel, at a time when senior military officials had not yet watched the full documentary when they issued their initial criticism of its content.
The Guardian Defends the Film
The Guardian, which produced the documentary, defended the film and its directors, saying NAZA was the result of more than three years of investigative journalism.
The newspaper said the identities of the confidential sources featured in the film had been verified and that the journalistic work had undergone verification and fact-checking. It described the Israeli reaction to the film as “authoritarian.”
Abraham also defended the documentary in an interview with Israel’s Channel 13, saying the identities of those who spoke in the film and the cases they discussed had been verified, while a team of editors had reviewed the original material.
He said he wants the film to be screened as widely as possible in Israel.
The controversy comes as the film has yet to receive a wide release. Its Venice award, along with political and military reactions in Israel, has broadened the debate beyond the festival and turned the documentary into a domestic Israeli issue involving questions about military conduct, information secrecy, and freedom of journalistic and cinematic expression.
