Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for an official investigation into the unnamed sources featured in the documentary NAZA, which alleges that Israel’s armed forces employed artificial-intelligence targeting to kill civilians in Gaza. The film relies on testimony from twenty-four Israeli military personnel who chose to remain anonymous, accusing the army of using the technology to increase civilian casualties during the ongoing conflict.
In a post on the social platform X, Netanyahu demanded that the chief of the general staff, the head of Shin Bet, and the attorney general launch a comprehensive probe and pursue criminal charges for serious information-security breaches, libel, and damage to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests. He framed the documentary as a deliberately false and biased narrative that harms the nation’s international reputation.
NAZA, whose title derives from a military abbreviation for expected civilian casualties, earned a special jury prize at the Venice International Film Festival and was met with a historic standing ovation lasting twenty-five minutes. The recognition has amplified the controversy, prompting Israeli officials to label the filmmakers’ actions as treasonous and to consider revoking their citizenship.
The Israeli defense establishment responded by categorically rejecting the whistleblowers’ claims, describing several assertions as absurd and contradictory. Military officials reiterated that strike selection and approval are performed solely by human operators in accordance with established guidelines. Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced that legal action against the film’s participants would be examined and that an inquiry into possible leaks of classified information would be opened.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar joined the prime minister in threatening to strip the directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, of their citizenship. In contrast, the head of Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate, Tzipi Hotovely, presented certificates of recognition to the creators of a counter-documentary titled NAZA: The Real Story, which features soldiers disputing the original film’s allegations.
The dispute unfolds against the backdrop of the war that began on 7 October 2023 after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing more than a thousand civilians and taking hundreds hostage. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports that Israeli operations have resulted in at least seventy-four thousand Palestinian deaths, including over twenty-one thousand children. Forty-three Israeli rights groups have publicly defended the NAZA filmmakers and condemned the threats directed at them.