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Israeli Military Accused of Depraved Indifference to Palestinian Life in Gaza, Documentary Reveals
Confirmed
In Short: The Venice Film Festival awarded the Special Jury Prize to 'NAZA,' a documentary that exposes the Israeli military's alleged use of AI to kill Palestinians and the systematic killing of civilians in Gaza.
The Venice Film Festival awarded the Special Jury Prize to 'NAZA,' a documentary that exposes the Israeli military's alleged use of AI to kill Palestinians and the systematic killing of civilians in Gaza. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, reveals chilling details of a program that has caused catastrophic destruction of residential areas in Gaza and massive loss of life among Palestinian civilians, including women and children.
According to interviewees in the film, Israeli military intelligence officials made the deliberate choice to attack residential targets in Gaza at night, after concluding it was more likely they could hit a suspected Hamas target while he was at home with his family. The film suggests the number of 'NAZA' considered acceptable in each attack was elastic, ranging from under a dozen to 200 or even 500 people deemed permissible collateral damage.
Interviewees speak to an attitude prevalent among IDF soldiers that allowed them to view Palestinian civilians as expendable, with one source describing a common refrain among soldiers: 'We need to erase Gaza… They deserve it.' The documentary also highlights the Lavender program, which was first reported by Deadline, and the existence of vast Israeli surveillance capabilities achieved by tracking cell phones.
NAZA' was shot clandestinely over three years, doing the interviews under the cover of night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, to avoid potential Israeli eavesdropping and shield the identities of participants. The film received a 25-minute standing ovation, an all-time record, and is already one of the most shocking and controversial documentaries of the year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What's confirmed
- The Venice Film Festival awarded the Special Jury Prize to 'NAZA,' a documentary that exposes the Israeli military's alleged use of AI to kill Palestinians and the systematic killing of civilians in Gaza. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, reveals chilling details of a program that has caused catastrophic destruction of residential areas in Gaza and massive loss of life among Palestinian civilians, including women and children.
- According to interviewees in the film, Israeli military intelligence officials made the deliberate choice to attack residential targets in Gaza at night, after concluding it was more likely they could hit a suspected Hamas target while he was at home with his family. The film suggests the number of 'NAZA' considered acceptable in each attack was elastic, ranging from under a dozen to 200 or even 500 people deemed permissible collateral damage.
- Interviewees speak to an attitude prevalent among IDF soldiers that allowed them to view Palestinian civilians as expendable, with one source describing a common refrain among soldiers: 'We need to erase Gaza… They deserve it.' The documentary also highlights the Lavender program, which was first reported by Deadline, and the existence of vast Israeli surveillance capabilities achieved by tracking cell phones.
- NAZA' was shot clandestinely over three years, doing the interviews under the cover of night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, to avoid potential Israeli eavesdropping and shield the identities of participants. The film received a 25-minute standing ovation, an all-time record, and is already one of the most shocking and controversial documentaries of the year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What's still developing
- That statement notwithstanding, the Gaza Ministry of Health reports the IDF has killed over 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded over 173,000 since Israel launched its military retaliation after the Hamas terror attack on Israel of October 7, 2023.
- According to some of the Israeli military personnel interviewed in NAZA, Israeli snipers deliberately fired on hungry Palestinians trying to reach food distribution sites.
- Abraham appears on camera, interviewing his subjects on the rooftop; they explain that “NAZA” is a Hebrew acronym used by the Israel Defense Forces to signify collateral damage (נזק אגבי, or Nezek Agavi, per an interview included in press notes), in other words, an acceptable loss of civilian life incurred while trying to kill suspected Hamas militants.
- And if you think about the fact that Israel, to this day, is not letting international journalists enter Gaza to witness what human rights organizations across the world are calling a genocide — much of the burden is placed on Palestinian journalists, who have been killed.
- “His lived experience was the quintessential story of Palestinians and Palestine,” said Baird.
- Making a documentary about an ardent Palestinian activist was not easy.