Israeli military rejects allegations in Venice-winning Gaza documentary
The Israel Defense Forces has rejected allegations in “NAZA”, a documentary about military operations in Gaza that won a special jury prize at Venice. The IDF said the film distorted events and denied that attacks were planned with hundreds of civilian deaths or selected solely by artificial intelligence.
The Israel Defense Forces has rejected allegations made in “NAZA”, a documentary about its operations during the war in Gaza. The film received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival after a 25-minute standing ovation. It has also provoked criticism in Israel, where Culture Minister Miki Zohar called it treasonous and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised it.
In a multi-page statement, the IDF accused the filmmakers of presenting a distorted and misleading account based on factual errors and what it described as manipulative representations of reality. “NAZA” is based on interviews with 24 anonymous military and intelligence personnel. Those interviewees describe procedures and decisions involved in selecting targets in Gaza and allege that high civilian-casualty estimates were sometimes deliberately considered.
The military denied that claim. It said it had never planned or carried out attacks while anticipating hundreds of civilian deaths. It also rejected the film’s suggestion that artificial intelligence selected targets without human oversight, saying people always made decisions about targets and attacks.
The IDF said the documentary omitted the role of legal advisers and commanders in reviewing and authorising strikes, as well as measures it says are taken to protect civilians. It also said the film did not adequately address the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The filmmakers, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, have defended the project.
Abraham said at the Venice awards ceremony that denial of a crime helped it persist and that it was important for Israelis to see the film. The title refers to “Nezek Agavi”, a Hebrew term for collateral damage. According to a soldier interviewed in the documentary, it is used within the military to describe estimated civilian deaths in an attack.
Human rights organisations, including the Israeli group B’Tselem, have supported the filmmakers. The documentary is showing in cinemas internationally.
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