A documentary by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor has triggered a political and public backlash in Israel after alleging that the military carried out systematic mass civilian killings in Gaza. NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation, according to the supplied source material.
The film draws on accounts from unidentified Israel Defense Forces soldiers describing an artificial-intelligence-assisted system that identifies targets using data gathered from thousands of hacked mobile phones. Its title comes from an Israeli military acronym derived from the Hebrew term “nezek agavi”, meaning “collateral damage”, the source said.
The filmmakers have faced accusations of treason from critics and protesters in Israel. Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside one director’s parents’ home in Tel Aviv, with protesters calling for the filmmakers to be expelled and saying they should be ashamed to return. Abraham and Szor have not returned to Israel since the film’s Venice screening, and Abraham has deleted his social media accounts amid the backlash.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would support legislation against what he called the defamation of Israeli soldiers and the state, referring to the proposed measures as the “NAZA laws”. He also said citizenship could be revoked from people who defame IDF soldiers abroad, according to the source.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar said he had asked the head of Israel’s internal secret service to investigate the origins of the film’s information and materials, as well as the circumstances in which they came into the filmmakers’ possession. He also called for an investigation into soldiers who spoke in the documentary and said the process could be considered in relation to revoking the filmmakers’ citizenship.
IDF chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the film as an attack on the army and Israel and ordered an investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of classified material allegedly used in its production. The Committee to Protect Journalists called Netanyahu’s remarks a dangerous escalation and urged Israeli authorities to end what it described as an intimidation campaign. NAZA is scheduled to screen at the New York Film Festival next weekend.