NAZA: Israeli Filmmakers Expose Gaza’s Killing Machine

25-Minute Ovation for NAZA: Israeli Filmmakers Expose Gaza’s Killing Machine, While Palestinian Voices Struggle to Be Heard

October 24, 2026: NAZA, the 80-minute documentary was directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Both previously worked on No Other Land, the Oscar-winning documentary made with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.

The new film examines the systems used by the Israeli military to identify targets in Gaza, drawing on interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel, whose identities were concealed to protect them.

Among the central subjects is an AI-assisted targeting system known as Lavender. Interviewees describe extensive surveillance of Palestinians and the use of automated systems to identify potential targets. The film investigates allegations that the military’s targeting procedures permitted large numbers of civilian deaths. Israel maintains that its military operations target Hamas and disputes allegations that its policy is one of deliberately killing civilians.

The title NAZA refers to a military intelligence euphemism for the expected number of civilian casualties in an airstrike. That terminology is central to the film’s examination of how civilian deaths may become calculations within a military system.

Why does the filmmakers’ Israeli identity matter?

This is perhaps the most important part of the story. Abraham and Szor say they used their position as Israelis to investigate the institutions and military networks within their own society. Their nationality and professional connections helped them reach Israeli insiders who could explain how targeting decisions were made.

The filmmakers recorded interviews secretly at night on Tel Aviv rooftops. The sources’ faces and voices were digitally altered to conceal their identities. Their testimony allowed the documentary to go beyond what could be established through public statements and written reporting alone.

But this access exposes a profound imbalance: Israeli filmmakers could interview people inside the military system, while Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza face enormous obstacles to documenting the war and bringing their work to international audiences.

Palestinians have not been silent. Palestinian journalists, photographers and filmmakers have documented the destruction, displacement and deaths throughout the war, often at tremendous personal risk. The problem is not an absence of Palestinian testimony. It is the unequal ability to travel, obtain resources, protect sources, reach international festivals and secure distribution.

The film follows Gaza-based photojournalist Osama Al-Ashi as he continues reporting while trying to protect his wife and newborn child. According to PEN America, Hassouna could not attend the festival because of Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

The contrast is difficult to ignore. One film gained international attention through interviews with Israeli military insiders; another told a Palestinian story from inside Gaza, but its filmmaker could not travel to the festival to represent his work.

That is not simply a question of cinematic visibility. It raises questions about who can physically reach the platforms where the world decides which stories it will hear.

A 25-minute ovation, followed by political backlash

The reception

NAZA received a reported 24.5-to-25-minute standing ovation at its September 2026 Venice premiere, setting a festival record, and went on to win the Special Jury Prize.

The response from Israeli political leaders was sharply different.

The reception in Venice was followed by a very different response in Israel.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar condemned the documentary and called for measures against its filmmakers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently invoked NAZA while pledging to advance legislation targeting people accused of defaming Israeli soldiers.

The filmmakers have faced intimidation, threats and hostility over their decision to expose the testimony. At the same time, supporters have defended their work as investigative journalism and an exercise of artistic freedom.

The controversy has extended beyond Israel. The documentary’s US theatrical release has renewed debate over American support for Israel and the evidence surrounding the conduct of the war in Gaza.

On October 16, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, known for The Zone of Interest, said he was shocked by the Israeli government’s response to NAZA. Glazer, an executive producer of the documentary, praised its testimonies and its examination of dehumanisation.

The film is therefore confronting two systems at once: the military machinery it investigates and the political pressures facing those who attempt to expose it.

The controversy demonstrates the risks faced by people who challenge official narratives during wartime. It also raises questions about whether the proposed measures would punish filmmakers for investigative work and criticism of state institutions.

Why this story matters

There are three distinct issues here.

1. Accountability: Can insiders’ testimony expose how military decisions are made, and will the allegations withstand independent scrutiny?

2. Freedom of expression: Should filmmakers face threats to their citizenship for documenting alleged abuses by their country’s military?

3. The inequality of storytelling: Why can some filmmakers reach the world’s most prestigious stages while Palestinian journalists and artists struggle to leave Gaza, protect their families and have their accounts heard?

The third question is especially important. International recognition for NAZA may help audiences understand the systems behind the destruction in Gaza. But it should not inadvertently reinforce the idea that Palestinian suffering becomes credible only when an Israeli filmmaker confirms it.

Palestinians have been documenting their own reality throughout this war. Their voices deserve international attention in their own right, not merely when someone with greater access amplifies them.

JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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