Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested an investigation into the anonymous sources featured in the documentary NAZA, which alleges that Israel’s military killed civilians in Gaza using AI-powered targeting systems. The film draws on testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli military whistleblowers who accuse the army of employing these systems to cause civilian casualties in the region.
Netanyahu stated on X that he demands the chief of general staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the attorney general to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the film's participants and to prosecute them for serious information security violations, criminal libel, and harm to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests. He described the film as presenting a false and misleading narrative that defames Israel and the Israeli military internationally.
In response to the allegations, the Israeli military has categorically rejected the whistleblowers’ claims, labeling some assertions as absurd and contradictory. The military emphasized that all strike selections and approvals are made by human personnel in accordance with military guidelines.
Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has called for legal action against the film's participants to be considered and has ordered an investigation into suspected leaks of classified military information used in the film’s production.
The documentary NAZA, which refers to the Israeli military term for civilian casualties expected in air strikes, received a special jury prize at the Venice International Film Festival and was met with a 25-minute standing ovation. The film has sparked significant political controversy in Israel, with its directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, facing accusations of treason from Netanyahu and Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who have threatened to revoke their Israeli citizenship.
In a contrasting development, Tzipi Hotovely, head of Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate, awarded certificates of recognition to the creators of another film, NAZA: The Real Story, for countering the allegations made in the original NAZA film. This second film reportedly features testimony from soldiers refuting the claims made in the first.
Additionally, 43 Israeli rights groups have defended the filmmakers of NAZA and condemned the threats directed at them, as reported by Israel’s Channel 12 news. The conflict in Gaza escalated on October 7, 2023, following an attack by Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and other Palestinian groups, resulting in significant casualties on both sides, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.