‘Naza’: Documentary on Israeli war crimes to be available online for free

The film provoked strong reactions in Israel, with Culture Minister Miki Zohar asking the authorities to consider revoking the documentary makers' citizenship for 'treason', and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as 'shocking'.

Israeli director Yuval Abraham confirmed on Thursday that his documentary 'Naza', which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, will be available 'for free online' in November.

The documentary is based on testimonies from 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel, without revealing their identities, detailing the deliberate killing of a large number of civilians by the forces during strikes in the Gaza Strip using systems based on artificial intelligence.

In a message posted on the platform 'X', also on behalf of co-director Rachel Tzur, Abraham said he wants to make the film available to as many people as possible to 'reveal the truth'.

The director wrote: 'I made this film to spark a public discussion about the government's actions in Gaza, the killing of more than 73,000 people, most of them civilians, and the normalization of a war of extermination'.

'Naza' is a term used in Israeli military circles, an acronym referring to 'estimated collateral damage' preceding each strike.

Hebrew graffiti accusing Yuval Abraham and Rachel Tzur of treason on a wall in Ashdod (Reuters)

The film sparked strong reactions in Israel, with Culture Minister Miki Zohar asking authorities to consider revoking the documentary makers' citizenship for 'treason', while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as 'shocking'.

For its part, the Israeli military denied the claims made in the film, asserting that it seeks to avoid civilian casualties and criticizing the directors for giving a platform to individuals who cannot be verified as participants in military operations in Gaza.

The army reiterated that 'decisions regarding strikes are made by humans', and that 'great efforts are made to protect civilians'.

Abraham expressed his belief that his film 'broke the barrier of indifference' in Israel, despite the 'high personal cost', noting his and Tzur's determination to return to Israel 'to continue the struggle' for the country's future.

The war waged by Israel on Gaza in response to the attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the death of about 74,000 Palestinians, according to data from the health ministry in the Strip, which is run by the 'Hamas', figures considered credible by the United Nations.

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter