The IDF also questioned how junior personnel could have knowledge of some of the national and military policies discussed in the film.
By Shula Rosen
The Israel Defense Forces rejected accusations made in “NAZA,” a Gaza documentary honored at the Venice Film Festival, questioning the reliability of testimony from 24 unidentified people portrayed by the filmmakers as Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel.
Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor received a special jury award for the documentary, whose name is derived from a Hebrew military acronym for “collateral damage.”
The filmmakers say the production is based on interviews with 24 people whose identities are withheld.
“NAZA” presents accounts of how Israeli forces identified and monitored potential targets and alleges that strikes were authorized despite expectations that civilians could be killed.
The IDF responded that concealing the interviewees’ identities makes it impossible to establish whether they served in the military, what roles they held or whether they had direct knowledge of the incidents discussed.
The film “relies on anonymous testimonies from individuals whose identity cannot be verified, including whether they served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether they were involved in the matters about which the allegations are being made,” the military said.
The IDF also questioned how junior personnel could have knowledge of some of the national and military policies discussed in the film.
It said other allegations involve activities in which the interviewed Intelligence Directorate personnel would not have taken part and challenged some of the documentary’s legal terminology and conclusions.
The military rejected allegations that it intentionally targets civilians, saying its operations are directed against Hamas and other terrorist organizations and are conducted under international law.
It said Hamas embeds fighters and military infrastructure in civilian areas and that allegations of illegal conduct by IDF personnel are subject to independent investigative procedures.
The IDF also disputed claims about artificial intelligence, saying decisions to select and approve strikes are made exclusively by human personnel rather than AI.
“NAZA” received a 25-minute standing ovation at its premiere.
Abraham and Szor previously co-directed “No Other Land” with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
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