Overview
- NAZA, an 80-minute Israeli documentary built on interviews with 24 anonymous military and intelligence figures, premiered to a record standing ovation and won the Venice Special Jury Prize on Saturday.
- The film alleges use of AI-assisted tools and targeting protocols in Gaza that produced large numbers of civilian deaths, including a source claim that an operation approved the deaths of up to 500 civilians.
- Culture Minister Miki Zohar has formally asked officials to examine whether the directors committed treason and to explore revoking their Israeli citizenship, while other ministers publicly condemned the film.
- The Israel Defense Forces rejected the film’s core claims, said the anonymous testimonies could not be verified, and maintained that strike approvals are made by human personnel not by artificial intelligence.
- No citizenship revocation or legal penalty has been enacted; under Israeli law any revocation would require an interior ministry petition, justice ministry approval and judicial validation, and the film’s Venice acclaim has widened debate on accountability, verification and free expression.