Israel Backlash Over Gaza Documentary Sparks Political Fury
The documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has ignited fierce political backlash across Israel following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 12, 2026, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation and won the Special Jury Prize. Examining the military’s use of artificial intelligence in targeting practices through the testimony of 24 anonymous soldiers and intelligence personnel, the film has bridged bitter domestic political divisions to provoke widespread condemnation from government officials, military leadership, and mainstream media.
Israel’s bitter political divisions are particularly sharp before the country’s October elections. Few of the central allegations in NAZA are new.
In contrast, NAZA has unleashed a litany of abuse from across Israel, bringing the allegations to the centre of the nation’s political debate. Culture Minister Miki Zohar reacted to the film’s Venice premiere by calling for the directors to be stripped of their citizenship and investigated by the internal intelligence service for treason. Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Ashdod, graffiti branding the directors “traitors” has appeared on walls.
“They’re attacking the friends and families of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. They’re talking about revoking their citizenship. It’s scary.”
The media landscape in Israel has played a major role in shaping public reception of the military’s actions. In late 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported escalating censorship and harassment in Israel, with local journalists stating that the media’s approach had become part of the war effort.
She noted that the mainstream media hardly reported on the human toll and the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Claims of this gravity demand intense scrutiny, and viewers have limited means of establishing whether the witnesses held the positions they claim or represented the targeting system accurately. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have challenged this aspect of the film and rejected its portrayal of Israeli targeting practices. At the same time, the military’s spokesman invited the filmmakers to screen it for the military, reflecting a measured stance compared to the wider political establishment.
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