In a video posted on his X account, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called NAZA, a documentary about civilian deaths in Gaza, antisemitic incitement. The documentary was produced by The Guardian and directed by Oscar-winning Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.
Netanyahu said they were fighting global antisemitic incitement but were now facing similar incitement from within Israel. He also recalled a statement by Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats Party, that the Israeli army was killing babies as a hobby.
The documentary includes footage concerning the alleged rape of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman military prison. Netanyahu claimed that the footage related to the incident had been staged to defame Israeli soldiers and was false; he also said that the footage had been described as authentic.
The Israeli prime minister also said that Abraham and Szor were members of the Directors Guild. He criticized Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party, for making the guild's president a parliamentary candidate for his party and described Eisenkot as his biggest rival in the elections scheduled for October 27.
Documentary wins Special Jury Prize in Venice
The film, which received the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Italy, documents civilian deaths in Gaza caused by Israel.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir decided to investigate whether data had been leaked from within the army for the documentary. Zamir instructed the Military Advocate General's Office to initiate legal proceedings.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar threatened to strip the documentary's directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, of their citizenship.
The documentary's title and accounts from Gaza
The name NAZA refers to an acronym used by the Israeli military for civilians, including men, women and children, who are expected to be killed in an attack.
To protect the participants' safety, the documentary was secretly filmed on rooftops in Tel Aviv over three years. The film used different interview methods, while the participants' identities, voices and images were concealed through digital alterations.
People interviewed in the documentary described secret systems, surveillance methods and remote bombardment practices allegedly used by the Israeli army in Gaza. According to their accounts, potential Hamas targets are identified using artificial intelligence, and some homes are bombed even when it is known that families are inside.
The film also included accounts alleging that residential areas used by Gazans as shelters were deliberately set on fire and that people were killed during food distribution. It said that some of the people interviewed had worked in covert intelligence units and reported directly to Netanyahu.
