Documentary ‘NAZA’ Premieres in Venice, Italy, as Israeli Officials Call for Filmmakers’ Citizenship to Be Revoked

The documentary film *NAZA* is directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. According to the reports, it features interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel. One report describes the film as an 80-minute documentary, and another describes it as British. Reports also differ on whether the film was produced by The Guardian and JW Films, which one report states.

The interviewees claim that artificial intelligence and automated surveillance are integrated into military targeting systems used by Israeli forces in Gaza. The film claims that artificial intelligence was used to identify targets there. One report states that the interviewees allege that operations causing thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths as collateral damage have government approval. Another states that the film alleges Israeli forces knowingly accepted high numbers of civilian casualties in strikes against Hamas. These are the claims of the film and its interviewees, and the reports supplied do not independently confirm them. Civilian deaths described as collateral damage raise questions about protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

The title is an abbreviation of “nezek agavi,” which means “collateral damage” in Hebrew, according to a Jerusalem Post report. That report notes that the directors’ previous film, *No Other Land*, used straightforward English terminology. It also says some people speculate the abbreviation was chosen for its phonetic similarity to “Gaza” or to convey a subliminal message. The report presents this as speculation rather than established fact.

Reports describe the film’s making in different ways. One says it was shot largely at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv. The reports also disagree on the filmmakers’ nationality: one describes them as Israeli filmmakers, and another describes the film as a British documentary directed by Israeli filmmakers.

The source headline states that Israeli officials have called for the filmmakers’ citizenship to be revoked. The supplied reports do not give details of who made that call, when, or on what basis, so that element cannot be confirmed from the material provided.

The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy. According to one report, it won the Special Jury Prize there after its premiere that month.