New Documentary 'N.A.' Exposes Systemic Killing in Gaza

A new documentary titled "N.A." (Nezek Agabi, meaning "Incidental Damage"), produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, the makers of "The Zone of Interest," premieres at the Venice Film Festival. The film features interviews with twenty-four anonymous Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers who participated remotely in the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. For nearly three years, these individuals monitored communications, led strikes, and developed algorithms, admitting to playing a role in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, predominantly unarmed civilians including children and women.

The documentary focuses on the systemic nature of the operations rather than isolated war crimes. It argues that the mass killing of the civilian population in Gaza was a deliberate, calculated, and pre-meditated systemic act. The filmmakers contend that the deaths of at least 73,000 people were not a tragic byproduct of fighting Hamas, but a direct result of a war against Gaza's residents, which some Israeli, Palestinian, and international researchers consider genocide.

According to the testimonies, the basic unit of attack in Gaza since October 7, 2023, was a family home. Unarmed Palestinians, including children, were systematically killed in "extermination zones" and at food centers. The film also alleges that Palestinians were deliberately starved to force them from their homes, and entire cities were razed.

The filmmakers state their primary motivation for creating the film was to make denial of these alleged crimes more difficult by using the voices of soldiers from the army that "destroyed Gaza." They believe this denial allows the alleged crimes to continue. While acknowledging that Palestinians in Gaza have documented and reported these events, the filmmakers chose to include the perspective of those who tracked and authorized the bombing of entire families, sometimes across multiple generations.

The documentary aims to confront the Israeli public with the actions taken in their name and to break down walls of denial and justification. While some soldiers may claim they were merely following orders or unaware of the specific impact of their actions, intelligence personnel are presented as having had the most knowledge about the presence of families in targeted homes. The film posits that the system operated under the assumption that "there are no innocents in Gaza," or in intelligence terms, "there is no incidental damage in Gaza."