Culture Minister Miki Zohar has called for NAZA\u2019s directors to be stripped of citizenship while accusing them of \u201cbetrayal against the state\u201d<\/p>\n
Several senior Israeli politicians have lashed out at the filmmakers behind a documentary accusing the IDF of using AI-assisted systems in the mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar went so far as to accuse the two Oscar-winning directors of treachery and threatened to have them stripped of Israeli citizenship.
\nThe controversy erupted after the 80-minute-long film NAZA \u2013 the name alludes to an Israeli military shorthand for expected \u201ccollateral casualties\u201d \u2013 received a 25-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival last week and won the Special Jury Prize.
\nThe film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is based on the accounts of anonymous Israeli military and intelligence insiders alleging that the IDF heavily relied on AI systems to identify people and homes for attack on a massive scale, often disregarding collateral civilian casualties. Some insiders described the process as \u201cinsanely fun\u201d and akin to a \u201cvideogame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Israel used AI to kill thousands of Palestinians in Gaza \u2013 documentary<\/p>\n
The IDF has categorically rejected the film\u2019s portrayal, saying the selection and approval of strikes are carried out \u201cby human personnel only.\u201d
\nThe film also caused a stir among senior Israeli officials. Zohar called the accolade \u201cshocking,\u201d accusing the directors of seeking to \u201charm their homeland just to get applause from anti-Semites around the world.\u201d
\n\u201c[This] is inconceivable and constitutes a betrayal of the state\u2026 As Minister of Culture, I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators,\u201d he wrote on X on Sunday.
\nFormer Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had attacked the documentary even before the award, calling it a \u201chorrific blood libel\u201d and saying it was particularly infuriating that the accusations had come from Israeli filmmakers. He also acknowledged civilian casualties in Gaza, but argued that \u201cthere is no magic button that can destroy Hamas, or any terrorist organization hiding behind\u201d ordinary people.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, a film accusing Israel of genocide premiered.It\u2019s a horrific blood libel against our sons and daughters. What makes it especially painful and infuriating is that this lie comes from Israeli filmmakers and is now being spread around the world.Let\u2019s get the facts\u2026\u2014 Naftali Bennett \u05e0\u05e4\u05ea\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d8 (@naftalibennett) September 11, 2026 <\/p>\n
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir \u2013 widely regarded as one of the most hardline figures of Israel\u2019s right-wing camp \u2013 called the directors a \u201cdisgrace,\u201d suggesting Hamas would welcome them, while former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman branded the pair \u201cenemies of Israel.\u201d
\nNeither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his office commented on the matter.
\nDespite Zohar\u2019s threat, there is no precedent of Israeli filmmakers being stripped of citizenship for producing a critical documentary, while the minister himself does not have a mandate to take such a measure.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: The unborn are dying in the siege of Gaza<\/p>\n
Israeli law allows a court to strip citizenship for a \u201cbreach of loyalty,\u201d including terrorism, treason, and serious espionage, but in the past the power was treated extremely cautiously. In 2022, as Israel\u2019s Supreme Court considered two cases involving citizens convicted of serious terrorist attacks, it ruled against the revocation, citing flaws in the proceedings and stressing that the measure could only be applied in exceptional circumstances.
\nHowever, Israeli filmmakers have faced other legal consequences in the past over similar work. In 2022, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on screenings of the documentary Jenin, Jenin \u2013 a film by Palestinian-Israeli director Mohammad Bakri which portrayed alleged IDF abuses. The court ordered Bakri to pay around $57,000 in damages after he was sued for defamation.
\nIn 2012, Haaretz journalist Uri Blau was sentenced to four months of community service for unauthorized possession of classified IDF documents used in reporting on targeted killings, even though his articles had passed military censorship. Meanwhile, his military source was sentenced to several years in prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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