Filmmaker Defends Gaza War Documentary Amid Israeli Criticism

Filmmaker Yuval Abraham, co-director of the controversial film "NAZA" which won an award at the Venice Film Festival, has broken his silence, defending his work in a direct interview with Israeli television. The film, which focuses on Israel's AI-driven targeting system and the calculation of acceptable civilian casualties in Gaza, has drawn sharp criticism from the Israeli military and government. Abraham insists that the accusations against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been thoroughly verified and that critics are simply afraid of the truth.

During a tense interview on Channel 13 with journalist Raviv Drucker, Abraham was questioned about how he and co-director Rachel Shore verified the claims made by 24 anonymous IDF intelligence soldiers. Drucker expressed skepticism, particularly regarding allegations that command approved strikes knowing the risk to hundreds of civilians, even when Hamas targets were not present. Abraham stated that all facts in the film were checked, and the production partnered with The Guardian, whose editors had access to the raw materials. He asserted that the identities of the sources and the incidents they described were verified.

The IDF has categorically denied a key episode in the film, which claims a strike was planned with an anticipated death toll of around 500 civilians. The military called this assertion "completely fabricated," emphasizing that human personnel, not AI, make targeting decisions. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has instructed the military's legal department to explore legal action against the filmmakers and has ordered an investigation into the leak of classified materials used in the documentary.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also joined the criticism, calling the situation "intolerable" and linking the film's controversy to his political opponents ahead of upcoming Knesset elections. Israeli diplomats abroad have reportedly been provided with talking points to counter the film's accusations, including claims that the film contains "many inconsistencies" and that the army invests significant resources to minimize civilian harm. They also reiterated that "genocide in Gaza did not happen."

Abraham admitted he fears he may not be able to return to Israel but still considers it home. He expressed hope that "NAZA" will eventually be widely screened in Israel. The film's title, "NAZA," is army slang for collateral damage. The current war in Gaza began after the October 7th Hamas attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 73,000 Palestinian deaths since the conflict began, a figure the IDF considers largely accurate, estimating the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths at two to three to one.