IDF Slams Gaza Attack Film as Distorted and Misleading

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a sharp condemnation of the film "Nezah" (Hebrew for "Perpetuity"), calling it a distorted, misleading, and unrealistic portrayal of how the military plans and executes strikes in the Gaza Strip. The IDF stated that the film's narrative is based on significant factual errors stemming from a distorted and manipulative presentation.

The military clarified that IDF directives clearly distinguish between combatants and uninvolved civilians, prohibit targeting civilians, and mandate minimizing civilian harm. The IDF specifically refuted claims about planned strikes expected to result in a particularly high number of civilian casualties, asserting that no attack was ever planned or approved in Gaza where the expected death toll of civilians was 500 or close to that number.

Furthermore, the IDF emphasized that artificial intelligence has never independently selected targets for attack. Target identification is performed by qualified intelligence officers, attack planning by professional staff, and the decision to execute rests with operational commanders. The army also rejected the notion of pre-set quotas for civilians who can be endangered in an attack.

The IDF also clarified that the "Lavender" system is not a database of approved targets but rather a data repository assisting intelligence analysts. The military added that issuing evacuation warnings does not permit ignoring the presence of civilians who remain in an area, and that the IDF investigates the outcomes of its strikes, including unintentional civilian casualties. These investigations, the army noted, have led to the review of hundreds of cases and the drawing of lessons during the fighting.

Concluding its response, the IDF directly criticized the filmmakers, stating that had they conducted good-faith verification processes and cross-referenced sources, they would have identified the film's substantial errors, implying they failed to do so.