The short version
- The Israeli government has initiated a campaign to identify and prosecute sources featured in the documentary NAZA, accusing them of harming national security interests.
- A state-promoted rival film titled NAZA: The Real Story has emerged online, initially mimicking the original documentary's branding before pivoting to counter-narratives.
- NAZA is scheduled for free release on the Guardian website in early December, following a successful theatrical run that drew over 1.5 million viewers worldwide.
A significant media confrontation has escalated between Israeli state institutions and the creators of NAZA, a documentary examining military operations in Gaza. The film, which features testimony from twenty-four Israeli officials involved in surveillance and remote targeting, is set to be released for free on the Guardian’s website in early December. This digital launch follows a theatrical distribution that has already reached more than 1.5 million viewers across forty-seven countries, establishing it as one of the most-watched documentary releases of 2026.
The title NAZA derives from an Israeli military acronym used to designate civilians anticipated to be killed during attacks. The film presents interviews with intelligence officers and soldiers who describe the use of artificial intelligence systems to identify potential Hamas operatives. According to these accounts, targets were bombed at night in their homes, with the understanding that such strikes would result in the deaths of family members. The interviewees were filmed under conditions of anonymity, with digital alterations applied to their voices and appearances to protect them from retaliation.
Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously won an Oscar for No Other Land, the project builds on investigative reporting published between 2023 and 2025. The production team claims to have consulted more than one hundred sources familiar with military targeting protocols. Critical reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with major publications describing the work as essential viewing. The film received a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, where its premiere was met with a record-breaking twenty-five-minute ovation, and it recently won best political documentary from the Critics Choice Association.
In response to the film’s release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered legal action against the individuals interviewed. The attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service have been instructed to reveal the identities of the sources and prosecute them for causing harm to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests. Netanyahu also threatened to strip Abraham and Szor of their citizenship, alleging treason. The military chief of staff stated that the armed forces would use every available tool to counter what he described as lies and blood libels.
The Israeli military has contested the film’s accuracy, asserting that it contains substantial errors regarding the target approval process. Officials argue that while AI systems assisted in identifying targets, final decisions on strikes and assessments of civilian casualty risks were made by human officers. The military contends that the sources interviewed possessed only a partial understanding of these procedures. This dispute highlights a broader tension between transparency in wartime operations and national security concerns.
Beyond legal threats, the filmmakers have faced harassment from far-right groups. Protesters have picketed Szor’s family home, and some messages included explicit calls for violence, with one individual demanding the death penalty for those labeled as traitors. The intensity of this backlash underscores the polarized environment surrounding public discourse on the war in Gaza within Israel.
A new development in this conflict is the emergence of a counter-narrative film promoted by the Israeli government. Titled NAZA: The Real Story, this project was initially hosted on a website that mimicked the branding of the original documentary, listing Abraham and Szor as directors and referencing festival screenings. This misleading presentation has confused some viewers. The site now serves as a platform for the rival film, which is promoted by Israeli embassies abroad.
Ariel Averbuch, an attorney and army reservist who co-created the counter-film, described it as an offensive move designed to shift global attention away from allegations of misconduct. As NAZA prepares for its free online release, the competing narratives will likely intensify public debate over the conduct of the war and the role of media in documenting conflict. The situation remains fluid, with ongoing legal and political pressures on both the filmmakers and their sources.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗NAZA: how and where to watch the Guardian’s acclaimed Gaza documentary
