Protest Planned Outside "NAZA" Film Premiere in New York

A protest is scheduled to take place outside the North American premiere of the controversial documentary "NAZA" at the New York Film Festival on Saturday. The Israeli-American Community (IAC) organization is organizing a rally where footage from the October 7th Hamas attack will be displayed on large screens. The IAC stated that the rally aims to protest the film's portrayal of the war and will feature raw footage from "October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre," including videos filmed by the attackers. The organization also plans to present materials it claims contradict assertions made in "NAZA," questioning the film's sources and methodology. The rally is set to begin approximately 30 minutes before the film's screening.

"Films have editors. History does not," the IAC declared. "We will not allow October 7th to be erased from the story." Expected attendees include survivors of the Nova music festival and an Israeli-Bedouin man who rescued dozens during the October 7th attack.

Film co-creator Yuval Abraham addressed criticism of the film's focus on October 7th, stating, "Acknowledging the atrocities in Gaza does not for a moment diminish the heinous massacre of October 7th, for which Hamas is responsible, which soldiers speak about in the film, and which has no justification." He added that ignoring events in Gaza contributed to the "terrible Sabbath" of October 7th.

The film itself, based on interviews with 24 individuals identified as soldiers and intelligence personnel whose faces and voices are disguised, reportedly focuses on intelligence and air force methods. Interviewees describe their work in targeting and approving strikes, raising claims about civilian casualties. The film reportedly includes a segment on the "NAZA" (collateral damage) methodology, detailing how intelligence mapped Hamas operatives' homes and calculated potential civilian harm. One interviewee describes a tool developed for this calculation, while another recounts allegedly using a 12-year-old girl's phone to locate her father, a target.

Some interviewees claim that strikes were approved despite estimates of hundreds of civilian casualties, with figures of 300 and 500 mentioned in one testimony. The film reportedly compares the work to a computer game and includes an interviewee who agrees with the suggestion that the actions constitute genocide, with another testimony drawing a comparison to the Holocaust. The film reportedly includes censored footage of abductions and briefly mentions hostages without detailing their experiences or deaths. It does not present IDF efforts to minimize civilian harm, Hamas's use of human shields, or the IDF's response to the allegations.

The IDF, in a detailed response after the film's Venice screening, denied the claims, stating the interviewees' identities and roles are unverifiable. The military denied planning or approving strikes with expected civilian casualties of 500 or near that number, asserting that target selection is human-driven, adheres to international law, and that suspected violations are investigated. "NAZA" is set for theatrical release in 56 countries starting September 28th and will later be available on The Guardian's website. The filmmakers and The Guardian have offered free screenings to Israeli cinemas.