Overview
- The documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a roughly 24–25 minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere and won the festival's Special Jury Prize on Saturday.
- NAZA compiles on-camera testimony from 24 current and former Israeli military and intelligence personnel who spoke anonymously and say the military tolerated high civilian ‘collateral’ deaths and used an AI-linked program reported as 'Lavender' to identify human targets.
- The film explains that its title refers to an Israeli military term for expected civilian casualties in strikes and includes detailed, altered-voice rooftop interviews filmed over nearly three years in Tel Aviv.
- The Israel Defense Forces issued an official denial, saying the anonymous claims cannot be verified and that strike approvals are made by human personnel in line with IDF guidelines.
- Produced with The Guardian and executive producer Jonathan Glazer, NAZA's festival recognition raises the odds of wider distribution and intensified investigation into its allegations and the wider human toll in Gaza reported by local health authorities.