IDF Rejects Claims in 'Collateral Damage' Film as Distorted and False

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued a sharp rebuttal to the documentary film 'Collateral Damage' (NezA), labeling its portrayal of Israeli military planning and targeting as "distorted, misleading, and unrealistic." The IDF asserts that the film's narrative is built on "substantial factual errors stemming from a distorted and manipulative presentation."

In its detailed response, the IDF denies seven central claims made in the film. Key among these are the assertions that IDF directives distinguish between combatants and civilians in Gaza and prohibit targeting civilians, that the IDF has never planned or executed an attack expected to kill 500 civilians, and that artificial intelligence has never independently selected targets. The IDF clarifies that target identification is performed by qualified intelligence officers, planning by professionals, and attack approval by operational commanders.

The military also refutes claims that directives automatically permit attacks on targets endangering a predetermined number of civilians, such as 20 civilians for a low-ranking operative or 200 for a senior commander. The IDF states that 'Lavender,' a system mentioned in the film, is not a database of approved targets but an intelligence aid, and that evacuation warnings do not grant permission to attack areas while disregarding remaining civilians.

Furthermore, the IDF denies ignoring attack consequences, stating that investigations into unintended civilian harm are conducted to inform future operations. The military suggests that the filmmakers' reliance on limited perspectives from interviewees, who often focused only on initial intelligence phases rather than the broader planning and approval process, led to factual inaccuracies. The IDF also criticizes the film for omitting crucial context, such as Hamas's strategy of embedding within the civilian population and the IDF's measures to mitigate civilian harm, including pre-attack warnings and humanitarian aid support.

The IDF further contends that the film manipulates interviews and draws false equivalences to historical atrocities, attributing malicious intent to the IDF. The military explains that the term 'collateral damage' is a standard professional term used by lawful militaries worldwide to assess and minimize expected civilian harm during attacks, and that the film absurdly presents the IDF's efforts to prevent such harm as indifference.

The IDF spokesperson stated that while the moral burden of such decisions is real and acknowledged, it does not indicate illegality or indifference but rather the seriousness with which decisions are made. The IDF expressed openness to honest criticism under international humanitarian law and highlighted its dedicated units and mechanisms for reducing civilian harm. The military also noted that filmmakers did not submit their claims to the IDF for verification before publication or provide a copy of the film upon request, forcing the IDF to rely on public descriptions and a representative's account from a screening.