IDF issues 10-page rebuttal to Gaza documentary NAZA
Israel’s military has published a formal rebuttal to NAZA, a documentary about the war in Gaza built from anonymous testimony by soldiers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The response is a 10-page document posted on the military’s idf.il website under the title “IDF Response to the Film ‘NAZA’”, as listed by the IDF. It was published on 1 October. Its length was detailed by The Times of Israel.
NAZA was directed by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It consists of anonymous interviews with two dozen veterans of the Gaza war. The interviewees claim Israel deliberately and systematically targeted civilians in Gaza. The title is an acronym from a Hebrew expression meaning collateral damage, military language for unintended harm to civilians and property.
The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Competition means it was selected as one of the main contenders for the festival’s top awards. It was set for a premiere in the United States, as reported by NPR on 29 September.
The Israel Defense Forces, Israel’s military, said the film presents a distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture of its target planning and striking process, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It said the narrative rests on substantial factual errors stemming from a misrepresented depiction of reality. The response also rejects claims about the use of artificial intelligence in targeting, as noted by The Times of Israel.
The military said its directives prohibit targeting civilians. It refuted claims that the killing of non-combatants was deliberate or military policy, and it categorically rejected claims that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The military says it has not seen the film. It said the film-makers did not submit the allegations for examination and did not provide a copy after a screening despite a request from the military. Its rebuttal is instead based on a detailed account from a representative who attended a public screening, plus other public accounts and the film-makers’ public statements.
The rebuttal follows political criticism in Israel. An Israeli minister threatened to revoke the citizenship of the film-makers, and Israeli officials said the film could be treasonous, according to the BBC.
What makes this stand out for film audiences is the unusual form of the exchange. A festival prize-winner has drawn a page-by-page reply from an army, issued through an official press-release channel normally used for operational statements.
