Naza Documentary Sparks Israeli Backlash as Global Release Begins

A documentary examining Israeli military operations in Gaza is opening in theaters across 50 countries on October 12 and 13, 2026, bringing anonymous testimony from 24 Israeli soldiers to international audiences. Directed by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, Naza investigates targeting procedures, artificial intelligence systems and the treatment of civilian casualties during the war. The 75- to 80-minute film, whose title derives from the Hebrew expression for collateral damage, has triggered a political backlash in Israel.

According to reports by RFI and franceinfo, the documentary presents soldiers describing how intelligence assessments and targeting decisions have contributed to large-scale destruction in Gaza. The international theatrical release includes screenings in France under an exceptional authorization covering 500 screenings. The film is scheduled to become available online for free in November through The Guardian's website, according to RFI.

Naza features interviews recorded at night on a rooftop in Tel Aviv, with the participants' faces digitally obscured and their voices altered to protect their identities. Archival footage traces the development of Israeli intelligence capabilities from the 1970s to the current conflict.

The filmmakers say their objective is to challenge silence surrounding the war, which followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. The documentary cites more than 73,000 Palestinians killed, using figures attributed to Gaza's Health Ministry and described in the film as confirmed by the United Nations. In testimony described by franceinfo, a soldier recounts an early wartime determination within the Israeli military leadership to destroy Hamas, expressing the view that civilians in Gaza were collectively responsible. Other participants describe the use of an artificial intelligence system called Lavender to identify suspected Hamas members by analyzing intercepted communications.

One participant, described as a developer of these techniques, says the system assessed the likelihood that intercepted conversations involved Hamas members and operated with a reported 15% margin of error. The testimony alleges that AI played a dominant role in selecting targets and that strikes sometimes killed entire families or destroyed residential buildings. Another account examines the targeting approach known as Where's Daddy?, which the documentary describes as tracking suspected militants to their homes. One soldier recounts monitoring a 12-year-old girl asking her mother when her father would return, before a subsequent strike killed the family, according to franceinfo.

The testimonies also describe attacks carried out at night, when suspected militants were more likely to be at home with their families. Participants discuss the destruction that could follow a strike against a suspected militant living in an apartment building, including the possibility that an entire structure would collapse. Yuval Abraham said the film should reach audiences in countries whose governments influence the continuation of the war.

He specifically identified Israelis, Americans, Germans and other Europeans as audiences he believes need to confront the testimony. Abraham also criticized the prospect of additional US weapons shipments to Israel without conditions. He framed the documentary as an effort by citizens to support those seeking to end the killing in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a criminal investigation into the soldiers who participated in the film. According to a statement from his office cited by RFI, Netanyahu asked the military chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service and the state prosecutor to investigate the participants and pursue legal action.

Netanyahu described the documentary as a false and misleading account that damages Israel and its military internationally. He also accused participants of defamation and the unlawful disclosure of classified intelligence, including information associated with elite Unit 8200. The Israeli government has also discussed stripping the filmmakers of their citizenship over allegations of treason and defamation.

Netanyahu compared the film's production to an attack involving dozens of missiles, according to RFI's account of the controversy. The Israeli military has categorically rejected the documentary's allegations, maintaining that strikes are not automated. No Israeli theater had agreed to screen the film at the time of RFI's report, while a disinformation campaign involving a fake version of Naza had also emerged online.

The controversy follows the film's screening at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2026, where it received a special jury prize and approximately 25 minutes of standing applause, according to RFI.