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The Israeli army has rejected the portrayal of its operations in the film “NAZA”, which documents alleged massacres in the Gaza Strip, and sought to distance itself from accusations over its conduct in the war.
In its first response to the documentary, the army said on Thursday that it presented a “distorted, misleading and far-from-reality picture” of how the military plans and carries out strikes. The film was directed by Israeli Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.
What did the Israeli army say?
The army said the film’s narrative was based on “fundamental factual errors” and a “distorted and manipulative presentation”. It said artificial intelligence had never independently selected targets for attack.
“Target identification is carried out exclusively by qualified and authorized intelligence officers, while operational commanders make decisions on striking targets,” the military said.
It also argued that former intelligence corps members interviewed in the film mostly discussed limited, preliminary stages of intelligence work, rather than the wider process for planning and approving strikes.
What does the film show?
“NAZA”, produced by “The Guardian”, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation. Accepting the award, Abraham spoke about what he described as a smear campaign against the film in Israel and efforts to prevent its claims from being seen.
The title is an abbreviation used by Israel’s military intelligence directorate, Aman, to refer to the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike, according to the film.
The documentary was secretly filmed on rooftops in Tel Aviv over three years. Participants’ identities, voices and facial features were digitally altered for their protection. Interviewees described surveillance systems used in Israeli attacks and long-range bombardment operations.
The film says some of those interviewed worked in a secret intelligence unit that reported directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza, which began in October 2023.
