Netanyahu slams award-winning Gaza doc as ‘intolerable’ as ministers seek revocation of directors' citizenship

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fiercely condemned a new, award-winning documentary that exposes the Israeli military’s use of artificial intelligence to systematically target and kill civilians in Gaza, labeling the film part of a wave of "global anti-Semitic incitement."

The backlash against the 80-minute documentary, titled "NAZA," has escalated into a full-scale regime crackdown.

Senior Israeli ministers are now calling for the filmmakers to be stripped of their citizenship and charged with treason, while the military has launched a probe to hunt down the whistleblowers who exposed the AI targeting systems.

Directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, "NAZA" takes its title from an Israeli military acronym for expected "collateral casualties."

The film is built around anonymous interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers who detail how the armed forces rely on AI-powered targeting software to orchestrate the bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

‘Intolerable’ incitement

The documentary received massive international acclaim over the weekend, winning the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and earning a record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation following its screening.

However, the global applause triggered immediate fury in Israel. In a video posted to Telegram on Monday, Netanyahu expressed outrage that certain Israelis were exposing the military's conduct on a global stage.

"It's shocking. We are fighting global antisemitic incitement, and when it comes from within us it is intolerable," Netanyahu said. "And now two Israeli directors portraying the IDF as war criminals receive applause at the Venice festival."

Demands for revocation of citizenship

The prime minister's comments followed a weekend of vitriol from his cabinet ministers, who have demanded severe punitive measures against Abraham and Szor.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar accused the directors of "treason against the state," claiming they were willing to "harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world."

Israeli minister vows to revoke filmmakers’ citizenship over award-winning Gaza documentary

The Israeli culture minister says he will seek to revoke the citizenship of two filmmakers following the success of their Gaza war documentary at the Venice Film Festival.

"I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason," Zohar wrote on X, warning of formal treason charges against the filmmakers.

Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also addressed the directors, saying, "You are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the entire people of Israel. Go away!" He added, "I am certain that your friends, that is to say our enemies Hamas in Gaza, will welcome you with open arms."

While the revocation of citizenship is legally permissible in Israel, it is rarely enforced.

In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Israel could strip individuals of their citizenship for failing to show "loyalty," such as through espionage or treason.

The law was further expanded in 2023 to include those convicted of "terrorism."

Military launches witch hunt

The Israeli military has also mobilized against the film as army chief Eyal Zamir dismissed the documentary as an "attack" on Israel, denying the allegations of systemic civilian targeting.

"Based on what has been published thus far, this is not a film offering criticism of the IDF, nor is it an attempt to establish the truth. It is based on blood libels, deliberate distortions of reality, and grave, false accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders," Zamir said in a statement.

Zamir has instructed the Military Advocate General to launch a legal investigation to hunt down and unmask the 24 anonymous military and intelligence sources who spoke to the filmmakers, and to "examine and advance possible legal measures concerning the film and those involved in it."

‘Systemic mass killing’

Despite the intense pressure and threats of prosecution, the filmmakers have stood by their work, saying that the testimonies reveal a deeply entrenched military culture.

"The Israeli intelligence officers we spoke with talked to us about how this mass killing is systemic: not by accident, but by design," co-director Yuval Abraham said.

He noted that the whistleblowers described "actions of murder and policies that are based on the total dehumanisation of Palestinians."

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Abraham and Szor previously won an Academy Award in 2025 for their documentary "No Other Land," which chronicled Israeli settler violence and the forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The release of "NAZA" comes as the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza continues to mount.

According to the territory's health ministry, more than 73,700 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing onslaught.

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