IDF Rejects Gaza Strike Film's Portrayal as 'Distorted and Deceptive'

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has strongly refuted the claims made in the film "NAZA," which focuses on target selection and strike procedures in the Gaza Strip. In a detailed response, the IDF accused the filmmakers of presenting a "distorted, misleading, and fallacious" image of its operations, based on significant factual errors and omissions. The army stated it had not received a copy of the film despite requesting one, and based its response on a public screening report and publicly available descriptions.

The IDF criticized the filmmakers for not submitting their accusations prior to the film's release. The army emphasized that its directives clearly distinguish between combatants and civilians, prohibiting intentional targeting of civilians and mandating efforts to minimize civilian harm. The IDF specifically denied planning, authorizing, or conducting any strike in Gaza with a foreseeable civilian death toll of 500 or near that number, and stated no serious accusation has established such an outcome from any of its strikes.

Furthermore, the IDF contested the film's assertion of automatic authorizations based on predetermined civilian casualty numbers, such as 20 for a junior operative or 200 for a senior official. Regarding artificial intelligence, the IDF clarified that it "never autonomously selected targets to strike." Target identification is performed by authorized intelligence officers, strike preparation by competent professionals, and the final decision by operational commanders. The army explained that "Lavender" is a database to assist intelligence analysts, not an approved target list.

The IDF also addressed the film's portrayal of the decision-making process, arguing it only showed preliminary stages and omitted crucial actors like those mitigating civilian damage, legal advisors, and approving commanders. The army suggested some testimonies were based on unfounded assumptions and criticized the lack of context regarding the security reasons for Israel's intervention post-October 7 and Hamas's strategy of embedding within the civilian population.

The IDF stated its civilian protection procedures have led to intelligence gathering, plan modifications, strike cancellations, and the renunciation of military options. The army cited warnings before attacks, munition choices, operational adjustments, and facilitation of humanitarian aid as examples. The IDF explained that "NAZA," an acronym for "Nezek Agavi" (collateral damage), involves evaluating predictable civilian casualties to assess legality and necessary precautions, not as proof of indifference, but as a means to modify or cancel operations when risks are too high.

While acknowledging the "real moral weight" described by witnesses, the IDF asserted this difficulty does not prove illegal decisions or indifference. The army conducts evaluations, even for unintentional civilian harm, with hundreds of incidents reviewed during the war. The IDF called the film a "simplistic manifesto with a clearly defined intention" but remained open to substantiated criticism, acknowledging that errors and failures have occurred and that suspected violations can lead to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.