11-09-2026
Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary NAZA received a 25-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival. The 80-minute film examines Israel’s use of artificial intelligence and surveillance systems to identify and target Palestinians in Gaza. It is based on a nearly three-year investigation and includes testimony from Israeli military and intelligence personnel who spoke anonymously. Their appearances were digitally altered and filmed at night to protect their identities.
The film focuses on an AI-assisted system called “Lavender,” which reportedly analyzes Gaza’s telecommunications data, including phone calls, movements and interactions, to identify assassination targets. Anonymous interviewees describe the targeting and bombing process as taking place on a mass scale and compare its remote nature to a video game. They also discuss the destruction of civilian homes, alleged disregard for humanitarian law and an atmosphere of hatred toward Palestinians.
Abraham said the documentary aims to show in detail how the systems used in Gaza operated and to pressure Western governments to end their support for Israel and impose sanctions. In a joint article for +972 Magazine, Abraham and Szor argued that the killing of Palestinian civilians was not an accidental consequence of military operations but a deliberate and calculated act. The film has been described by industry publications as urgent and deeply disturbing.
NAZA was produced by Jim Wilson with The Guardian and executive producer Jonathan Glazer, whose previous film The Zone of Interest won the 2024 Oscar for best international feature. The article reports that Israel’s war on Gaza has killed approximately 73,500 Palestinians and wounded 174,500 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Foreign journalists remain largely barred from entering Gaza. NAZA is the only documentary in competition at the festival.
Entities: NAZA, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, 83rd Venice Film Festival, Gaza • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
11-09-2026
A documentary presented at the Venice Film Festival alleges that the deaths of large numbers of Palestinian civilians were routinely incorporated into Israeli military targeting decisions during the war in Gaza. The film, titled “NAZA,” was directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and was unveiled on Thursday, September 11, 2026. According to the article, the documentary challenges official Israeli accounts of the conflict by examining how civilian casualties were treated in military planning and operations.
The film received a 25-minute standing ovation at its premiere, described as the longest such ovation at the festival so far that year. The response suggests that the documentary attracted significant attention from the Venice audience, particularly because of its allegations concerning the conduct of the war and the scale of civilian deaths.
The short report does not provide detailed evidence from the film, statements from Israeli officials, or responses from other parties. Instead, it focuses on the documentary’s central claims, its challenge to established narratives, and the unusually lengthy audience reaction. The wording attributes the allegation about targeting decisions to the film rather than independently presenting it as a verified finding. The article therefore serves primarily as a brief news update about the documentary’s premiere, its subject matter, and its reception at one of the world’s major film festivals.
Entities: Venice Film Festival, Venice, NAZA, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
11-09-2026
The article reports on the Venice Film Festival premiere of NAZA, a documentary by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor about Israel’s use of artificial-intelligence systems and automated targeting in military operations in Gaza. The film received a reported 25-minute standing ovation, potentially setting a Venice record and surpassing the 23-minute ovation given to another Gaza-related film the previous year.
For the documentary, Abraham and Szor interviewed 24 Israeli military and intelligence whistle-blowers. The sources spoke anonymously to protect their identities and described how automated systems were used to select targets and organize attacks. Abraham said the filmmakers’ aim was to document, in detail, how the systems involved in the killings operated and to allow soldiers and officers to describe their own experiences.
The 80-minute film reportedly left many viewers shocked. According to the article, interviewees characterized their work as resembling participation in a “killing factory” or a lethal video game, suggesting that technological systems had created emotional and physical distance between personnel and the consequences of military action.
The report focuses primarily on the documentary’s reception and its allegations about AI-assisted warfare, rather than independently verifying the whistle-blowers’ claims. It presents the film as a significant and emotionally disturbing contribution to debate over Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, the use of automated military technologies, and accountability for civilian deaths.
Entities: Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, NAZA, Venice Film Festival, Agence France-Presse • Tone: emotional • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
