"NAZA" could be the tipping point in the public perception of Gaza

Live updates

1. 58m ago

   Israeli Government Targets Filmmakers of Gaza Documentary NAZA

   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is backing legislation to strip citizenship from the directors of NAZA, a documentary about the war in Gaza. The film, co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has sparked a political storm in Israel following a standing ovation at the Venice film festival. While the filmmakers face threats of execution from right-wing protesters and accusations of treason, the documentary has secured a U.S. theatrical release via a self-distribution model. The film focuses on the Israeli military's use of AI in Gaza and the resulting collateral damage.

   Why it matters

   The controversy centers on the film's claims regarding AI-driven targeting and military conduct in Gaza. This tension reflects a deeper domestic divide in Israel over journalism, treason, and the public perception of the war. The film's international reception contrasts sharply with the hostility it faces within Israel.

   What is confirmed

   • Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor co-directed the documentary NAZA.
   • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking legislation to strip the filmmakers of their citizenship.
   • The documentary NAZA has established a U.S. theatrical release using a self-distribution model.
   • The filmmakers received a standing ovation at the Venice film festival.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Right-wing protesters called to execute traitors outside a filmmaker's family home.
   • The documentary claims computers decide who lives or dies in the hunt for Hamas.
   • Efforts to silence the filmmakers and artist Macklemore are amplifying their work.

   What to watch next

   • The official progress or passage of the legislation to strip citizenship from the directors
   • The results of the NAZA U.S. theatrical release
   • Legal challenges regarding the film's accusations against IDF soldiers
   Sources used for this update (21)

   1. The New York Times — Opinion | Israel Is Going to War Against a Documentary
   2. The Guardian — Netanyahu seeks to strip citizenship from Israelis as threats to NAZA film directors intensify
   3. The Guardian — The Guardian view on NAZA’s persecuted directors: journalism is not treason
   4. Variety — Gaza Documentary ‘NAZA’ Sets U.S. Theatrical Release Through Self-Distribution Model
   5. Haaretz — Right-wingers call to 'execute traitors' outside 'NAZA' filmmaker's family home
   6. Al Jazeera — NAZA: Why are old Gaza allegations causing new fury in Israel?
   7. Yahoo — Commentary: Efforts to silence 'NAZA' filmmakers and Macklemore only amplifies their work
   8. The Jerusalem Post — ‘NAZA’ documentary can’t explain why a military bent on genocide would need AI - opinion
   9. The Jerusalem Post — Israel’s AI in Gaza, unpacking the claims of NAZA documentary
   10. Salon.com — "NAZA" could be the tipping point in the public perception of Gaza
   11. The Forward — Netanyahu backs legislation that would strip ‘NAZA’ makers of citizenship
   12. CBC — These documentarians got a standing ovation in Venice, but their fellow Israelis are furious
   confidence 90%