Guardian Defends 'Naza' Documentary Amid Israeli Criticism

The Guardian newspaper, publisher of the documentary film 'Naza', has issued a strong defense of the film and its creators, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, following significant backlash in Israel. The British newspaper expressed concern over what it called a "depressive reaction" in Israel to the film, which it stated is based on over three years of journalistic investigation. The Guardian asserted that the testimonies featured in the film are "real" and "deserve to be heard," noting that interviews were conducted with anonymous journalistic sources. The publisher vowed to "vigorously defend 'Naza' and the team behind it against any attacks or censorship attempts."

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehemently denied the film's central claims, calling them "an absolute lie." A spokesperson stated that the IDF has never planned, approved, or carried out an attack in Gaza where the deaths of 500 civilians, or anything close to that number, were anticipated. The IDF also asserted that no credible claim has ever been made during the war suggesting an IDF attack resulted in anything near that number of fatalities, and that the filmmakers could not verify this claim despite publishing it.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi also discussed the film, with the IDF spokesperson stating that Halevi views it as a deliberate attempt to directly harm the legitimacy of the IDF and the State of Israel. The IDF maintains that it operates in accordance with international law and its own values, and leads efforts to minimize harm to non-combatants, reporting significantly lower civilian casualties compared to other militaries in relation to combatants.