Israeli Minister of Culture Miki Zohar on Monday called for an investigation to determine the unknown military sources cited in the documentary "NAZA", which won an award at the Venice Festival and contained accusations against the Israeli army of killing large numbers of civilians in Gaza.
In the film, directors Yuval Abraham and Rahel Tzur interviewed 24 Israeli military personnel, all of whom revealed confidential information, requesting anonymity. They spoke about AI-supported targeting systems used to bomb Gaza, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.
The 80-minute documentary won the Special Jury Prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.
In a post on X, Minister Miki Zohar said he asked the authorities "to investigate how these materials were obtained, identify those behind them, and whether actions taken during their acquisition or publication amounted to aiding the enemy in wartime."
He also stated he requested the Ministry of the Interior consider revoking the two directors' citizenship on the charge of "treason".
Zohar wrote: "Freedom of expression is not a license to betray the state, and anyone acting against Israel in wartime should know there is a price to be paid."
Israeli law permits revoking citizenship, even though this measure is rarely enforced. The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the state could revoke the citizenship of individuals who committed acts such as espionage or treason. In 2023, the law was extended to include people convicted of "terrorism" as well.
The Israeli army criticized the use of testimonies attributed to anonymous sources in the film and challenged a claim made by one interviewee that the army approved an airstrike that killed 500 civilians.
The army stated: "The filmmakers could not verify the validity of this claim, as no real evidence supports it, yet they published it. Moreover, there is no independent verification available about the person giving the testimony, whether concerning their military service or role." Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians.
Director Abraham said: "The Israeli intelligence officers we interviewed spoke of these mass killings as systematic, not unintended but deliberate and intentional."
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