NAZA: Why are old Gaza allegations causing new fury in Israel?

What Happened

Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor released the documentary NAZA, which presents allegations about Israeli military conduct during the Gaza war. The film alleges that the Israeli military relied on artificial intelligence systems to generate targets, often killing inhabitants of entire buildings to kill one individual identified by the system; it also includes accusations of genocide, deliberately causing famine, and unlawfully killing children. These claims were previously reported in April 2024, but the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation, brought them to the center of Israeli political debate. The film triggered a unified backlash across Israel's political and media establishment. Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for the directors to be stripped of citizenship and investigated by Shin Bet for treason. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir dismissed the film as blood libel and ordered a legal probe to identify its military and intelligence sources. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the film while advancing legislation to revoke citizenship from anyone deemed to be smearing soldiers. Graffiti branding the directors as traitors appeared in Ashdod. Political rivals Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett also condemned the film. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported escalating censorship in Israel in late 2025, and a Molad study found only 3 percent of Channel 12's war coverage mentioned Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The backlash demonstrates a near-consensus rejection within Israel's political and media elite of critical reporting on Israeli military conduct in Gaza. It occurs amid documented censorship and self-censorship, with the Molad study showing only minimal coverage of Palestinian casualties on Israel's most-watched channel. The response, including citizenship revocation legislation and Shin Bet investigation demands, raises press freedom and accountability concerns, and may affect Israeli public perception ahead of October elections and international legal scrutiny of the war.

Watch For

Monitor whether Shin Bet opens an investigation into the filmmakers or their sources; whether the citizenship revocation legislation advances before the October elections; results of the IDF Chief of Staff's legal probe; further political attacks or protests against the filmmakers; and any international reaction to NAZA's Venice Film Festival premiere and wider distribution.