Ex-Hostage Demands Filmmakers Face Public Shame Over Gaza War Documentary

Eliya Cohen, who endured 505 days in Hamas captivity, has publicly condemned a documentary film about the Gaza war that recently received an award at the Venice Film Festival. Cohen, abducted during the Nova music festival attack, stated in an Instagram video that the film, which features testimonies from 24 masked Israeli soldiers and officers and labels the events in Gaza as genocide, is a blow to Israel's image. He urged Israelis to ensure the filmmakers feel ashamed if they return to the country.

Cohen expressed his distress over the award, calling it "terrible" that the filmmakers could return to Tel Aviv and move freely as if nothing had happened. While acknowledging Israel's democratic freedoms and the right to free speech, he believes the Israeli public cannot ignore the film's content. He proposed distributing photos of the filmmakers to make them feel ashamed in public, clarifying that he does not advocate for violence but for societal rejection.

He further claimed that the filmmakers bear responsibility for the deaths of friends and diaspora Jews, and that such projects fuel hostility and antisemitism against Israelis abroad. Cohen also questioned the authenticity of the soldiers' testimonies, suggesting the anonymous accounts might be staged rather than genuine. He believes the film unfairly portrays Gazans as solely innocent civilians, recounting his own fear of some local residents during captivity, contrasting them with Hamas terrorists who had an interest in keeping him alive for negotiations.

The film's creators have not yet publicly responded to Cohen's statements. The documentary's award has sparked significant debate within Israel regarding its portrayal of the conflict and its impact on national sentiment.