Former Hamas Hostage Criticizes "NAZA" Film for Ignoring Israeli Efforts

Omer Shem Tov, who was held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 505 days, has sharply criticized the film "NAZA," which he states portrays Palestinian civilian casualties without adequately considering the realities of the war and Israel's efforts to minimize civilian deaths. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Shem Tov drew upon his personal experience as a hostage, abducted during the October 7th Nova festival attack, to argue that the film presents an incomplete picture of the conflict.

Shem Tov described spending much of his captivity in apartments located within active combat zones. He recounted not only the fear of his captors and experiences of hunger and mistreatment but also the constant dread of being killed by an Israeli airstrike. "I know what it means to be collateral damage. For 505 days, that is what I was," he wrote.

He detailed instances where his captors fled from approaching Israeli strikes, leaving him behind. Simultaneously, he noted, Israel had contacted the mother of one of his captors to ensure her safety from accidental harm. "I was there, kidnapped, starving, and tortured by her son, while my army was trying to keep his mother alive," Shem Tov stated.

Shem Tov also highlighted Israel's use of leaflets, phone calls, messages, and evacuation orders to warn civilians before operations. While acknowledging that "Palestinian suffering in Gaza is real and deserves to be shown," he criticized "NAZA" for largely omitting the October 7th attack and the hostage crisis.

Although he has not seen the film, which has not been screened in Israel, Shem Tov based his critique on published information about it. He expressed particular dismay at the film's reception at the Venice Film Festival, where "NAZA" received the Jury's Special Prize, and reports of a lengthy standing ovation. "As a former hostage, those minutes felt like a rain of knives," he wrote.