Documentary "Collateral Damage" Sparks Debate on Gaza Civilian Deaths

A documentary titled "Collateral Damage" (Nezak Agabi), which won an award at the Venice Film Festival, is generating significant public discussion in Israel. The film, based on anonymous testimonies from 24 soldiers and intelligence officers who served in Gaza, examines the mechanisms behind Israeli military operations, including information gathering, target selection, and the assessment of civilian casualties, questioning what constitutes justifiable "collateral damage."

The film's title itself highlights a central moral question: what does it reveal about a society that frames the harm to innocent civilians with neutral, professional terminology like "collateral damage"? The article argues that this sterile language dehumanizes the reality, turning homes into "structures," families into "numbers," and child deaths into mere "incidental civilians" near a target, creating psychological and moral distance from the consequences.

Even before its Israeli premiere, the filmmakers faced accusations of treason and harming IDF soldiers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested revoking their citizenship, a move the article attributes to election considerations and an attempt to deflect from government failures by labeling critics as "traitorous leftists." The article notes a lack of substantive responses to the film's claims, suggesting that official statements, such as Israeli estimates that one-third of Gaza casualties are Hamas fighters (implying two-thirds are "collateral damage"), or Defense Minister Israel Katz's statement about a security zone cleared of residents and homes, inadvertently reinforce the film's points.

The article also references the observations of French historian Jean-Pierre Filiu, who visited Gaza in December 2024. Filiu describes widespread destruction, comparing it to Dante's Inferno, with 87% of residential buildings damaged, over 80% of businesses destroyed, and two-thirds of the road network unusable. He details the human cost, including mass displacement, families living in tents with minimal space, and the tragic death of a three-week-old infant from hypothermia in a tent, a case echoed by other infant deaths. Filiu's account underscores the severe degradation of basic living conditions, including open landfills, lack of clean water (down to 9 liters per person per day, with only 2 for drinking), and the collapse of the healthcare system, leaving thousands without essential treatment.

Ultimately, the article posits that while the film focuses on the decision-making process, Filiu's testimony illustrates the devastating human consequences. It argues that the term "collateral damage" organizes reality from a military perspective but fails to capture the lived experience of those affected, where there is no "collateral damage" but rather the loss of homes, families, bodies, memories, and futures. The article concludes that Israeli society cannot evade responsibility for these events, regardless of attempts to ignore reality or condemn the filmmakers.