NAZA Documentary Triggers Israeli Citizenship Revocation Threats

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has threatened to seek the revocation of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s Israeli citizenship after their documentary, “NAZA,” won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film examines Israel’s military operations in Gaza and alleges that AI-powered systems were used in what its official festival synopsis describes as “calculated mass killings” of Palestinians. In a post on X, Zohar called the documentary “vile” and described its award as “shocking.” He accused Abraham and Szor of damaging Israel for international approval and said their actions amounted to “treason against the state.” Zohar stated that, in his capacity as culture minister, he would act immediately to revoke their citizenship, describing the filmmakers as “despicable creators.” “NAZA” is an 80-minute documentary that includes testimony from Israeli military and intelligence personnel who spoke anonymously. According to the report, interviewees discussed an AI system known as “Lavender,” which was allegedly used to monitor communications between Palestinians in Gaza and help determine targets for killings. The film received a 25-minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere. The filmmakers’ award and the minister’s response have placed the documentary at the center of a wider political and cultural dispute over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, criticism of the country abroad, and the limits of dissent by Israeli citizens. Abraham said he hoped the documentary would encourage Western governments to impose economic sanctions on Israel. The report identifies the film’s win, the minister’s threat, and the allegations regarding AI-assisted targeting as the central developments.

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said he would pursue the revocation of Israeli citizenship for filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their documentary “NAZA” won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. The film features interviews with 24 alleged Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers who claim that AI-powered targeting systems were used in Gaza in ways that contributed to the killing of Palestinian civilians. Zohar condemned the filmmakers’ work as a betrayal of Israel and accused them of seeking approval from Israel’s international critics. He said he had contacted senior officials at the Population Authority and Interior Ministry to examine whether the directors’ citizenship could be denied on grounds of breach of trust, cooperation with the enemy, or actions that could assist an adversary during wartime. Israeli law permits citizenship revocation in some circumstances, but the process requires a request from the interior minister, approval by the justice minister, and validation by judges. There was no immediate response from the Interior Ministry. Other Israeli officials, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, also attacked the filmmakers. Abraham and Szor previously won the 2025 Oscar for “No Other Land,” a documentary about Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Following the Venice screening, Abraham said the interviewees described mass killings in Gaza as systematic and based on the dehumanization of Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces criticized the documentary’s reliance on anonymous sources, saying their identities could not be verified, and reiterated its denial of deliberately targeting civilians. Film publications described “NAZA” in strongly urgent and condemnatory terms, reflecting the controversy surrounding its allegations and the Israeli government’s response.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has threatened to revoke the Israeli citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their documentary, "NAZA," won a Special Jury Award at the Venice Film Festival. The film examines Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and includes interviews with Israeli military and intelligence personnel who describe the systems used to select targets. Its title refers to a Hebrew acronym reportedly used to estimate the number of civilians expected to be killed in a military strike. Zohar accused the filmmakers of harming Israel to win praise from what he called antisemites abroad and said he would seek to revoke their citizenship for treason. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned Abraham and Szor, describing them as a disgrace and embarrassment to Israel. Israeli law permits the revocation of nationality in cases of alleged disloyalty, including espionage or treason, and the Supreme Court upheld that authority in 2022. For the 80-minute documentary, Abraham and Szor conducted nighttime rooftop interviews in Tel Aviv with 24 Israeli military or intelligence personnel. According to the filmmakers, the interviewees said the mass killing of Palestinians was systemic and deliberate rather than accidental, and that it reflected policies based on the dehumanization of Palestinians. The Israeli army rejected the film’s allegations, criticizing its reliance on anonymous sources and saying the identities of the alleged whistleblowers could not be verified. The documentary concerns Israel’s military campaign launched after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel. Gaza officials say more than 73,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since then; the article notes that these figures are considered broadly reliable by the United Nations. The report presents the dispute over the film, the government’s response, and the competing claims surrounding civilian deaths and military targeting.

The article reports that Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar threatened to revoke the citizenship of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Israeli directors of the documentary NAZA, shortly after the film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Zohar condemned the documentary as “vile” and accused the filmmakers of betraying Israel by criticizing the country’s conduct in Gaza. He also equated their criticism with antisemitism and said he would act immediately to strip them of their citizenship. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir separately attacked the directors, calling them a disgrace and suggesting that Hamas would welcome them. NAZA is described as an 80-minute documentary filmed secretly at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv during the Gaza war. It features interviews with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers, soldiers and whistleblowers who discuss the systems used to identify and target Palestinians. The title refers to “Nezek Agavi,” a military acronym translated as “collateral damage,” describing the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike. The film received a record 25-minute standing ovation at Venice. Supporters, including former Hadash lawmaker Yousef Jabareen and the newspaper Haaretz, praised the directors for exposing alleged crimes and forcing Israelis to confront the consequences of the war. Abraham and Szor previously directed No Other Land, which documented Israeli settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank and won the Oscar for Best Documentary. The article places NAZA within the broader Gaza conflict, noting that the Gaza health ministry has reported more than 73,000 deaths since the war began. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and United Nations bodies have described Israel’s conduct as genocide or involving war crimes. The documentary will screen in San Sebastián and New York, while French distributor MK2 Films holds its world sales rights; no theatrical release date has yet been announced.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has called for an investigation into the anonymous military sources featured in NAZA, an award-winning documentary about Israel’s war in Gaza. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, includes testimony from 24 anonymous Israeli military whistleblowers who allege that the army used AI-powered targeting systems in a manner that led to the systematic killing of civilians. NAZA won a special jury prize at the 2026 Venice Film Festival. In a post on X, Zohar said authorities should determine how the documentary’s materials were obtained, identify those behind them, and assess whether the filmmakers or sources had aided Israel’s enemies during wartime. He also said he had asked the Interior Ministry to consider revoking Abraham and Szor’s citizenship on grounds of alleged treason, warning that freedom of expression did not permit actions against the state during wartime. Israeli law allows citizenship to be revoked for breaches of loyalty, including espionage or treason, although the measure is rarely used. The Israeli military rejected the documentary’s anonymous testimonies, particularly a claim that it had approved an airstrike killing 500 civilians. The military argued that the filmmakers could not verify the claim and that the interviewee’s identity, military role and service could not be independently confirmed. Abraham defended the film, saying Israeli intelligence officers interviewed for it described mass killing as systemic and deliberate rather than accidental. Israel denies intentionally targeting civilians. The article also provides context on the wider conflict: Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack killed 1,221 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 73,700 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians but are considered reliable by the United Nations.