Film reveals Israel's secret systems in Gaza killings
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The gist
Israeli filmmakers' documentary "NAZA" premiered at Venice, drawing a 25-minute ovation.
It presents 24 anonymous Israeli military testimonies alleging civilian deaths were built into targeting.
Background
"NAZA" is directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Israeli filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning 2025 documentary "No Other Land." It was shot in secret on rooftops in Tel Aviv over roughly three years, with the 24 interviewees — mostly intelligence officers and soldiers — having their identities, voices and appearances concealed. The film takes its title from an Israeli military term for expected "collateral casualties," and its subjects describe surveillance systems and remote bombing that they say used artificial intelligence to identify potential Hamas targets and strike their homes, often knowing families were inside.
How it unfolded
- Sep 10, 2026"NAZA" has its world premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where it is the only documentary in competition.
- Sep 10, 2026The premiere draws a 25-minute standing ovation, described by AFP and Al Jazeera as a record for the festival.
- Sep 11, 2026Al Jazeera reports the ovation and the film's focus on Israel's use of AI-powered systems in Gaza.
Who’s saying what
- Filmmakers
- Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor say the testimonies show a targeting system that, by design, strikes people in civilian spaces and family homes, and that the mass killing was premeditated and intentional rather than a byproduct of war.
- Officers
- One anonymous officer interviewed in the film says there was "mass killing on an industrial scale," and the interviewees describe calculating likely civilian deaths before approving strikes.
- Festival
- Venice audiences gave the film a 25-minute standing ovation, and it is the only documentary in this year's competition.
Still unverified
The film's central allegations — that Israel's military used AI to identify targets and bomb homes knowing families were inside, and that civilian casualties were deliberately built into targeting decisions — rest on anonymous testimony from 24 Israeli military and intelligence sources whose identities are concealed, and are disputed by official Israeli accounts. The claim that the ovation was a "record" is attributed to AFP and Al Jazeera reporting.