Israel Accuses NAZA Directors of Treason After Film Exposes AI Systems Used in Targeting Gaza Homes

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar has said he will seek to revoke the citizenship of NAZA's directors, accusing filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor of treason against the state after their documentary on AI-assisted targeting in Gaza won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.

The documentary, by Israeli filmmakers Abraham and Szor, premiered at Venice on Thursday, 10 September and won the festival's Special Jury Prize two days later. Although the directors are Israeli, the Venice programme lists the film's country as the United Kingdom, with The Guardian and JW Films credited as producers.

NAZA examines allegations by 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence sources about the use of AI-assisted systems in targeting operations in Gaza. The film has drawn intense political criticism in Israel since its premiere. The Israeli military has rejected the allegations and questioned the reliability and verifiability of the anonymous sources.

AI Targeting Claims and IDF's Response

According to its creators, the documentary explores claims that AI-assisted targeting tools contributed to civilian casualties during the war in Gaza. The Israeli military has categorically rejected the allegations, saying the film relies on anonymous testimony whose identities and military roles cannot be verified. The IDF has also questioned whether junior personnel would have had knowledge of some of the strategic matters described, and maintains that target selection and approval are carried out by human personnel rather than artificial intelligence.

The controversy has given the 80-minute documentary significant political weight in Israel, with government officials, opposition politicians and the IDF all publicly responding to its allegations.

Politicians Clash Over Citizenship Threat

Former Likud MK Tally Gotliv also attacked the film, calling it 'a complete invention by Israel-haters from within'. Israeli Arab activist Yoseph Haddad said the documentary was 'a repulsive film whose entire purpose is to accuse the IDF of genocide'. Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot likewise criticised the film, describing the conflict as a just war against an enemy that killed and abducted civilians on 7 October 2023.

The backlash also drew criticism from Israel's centre-left, including MK Naama Lazimi of the Democrats party, who opposed the idea of revoking the filmmakers' citizenship. Lazimi argued that the strongest attacks on the directors had come not only from the right but from across the political spectrum, and linked the row to wider disputes over alleged Qatari influence in the Prime Minister's Office and criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu's policies towards Hamas before the 7 October 2023 attack.

Uncertain Future for Film and Legal Move

It remains unclear how widely NAZA will be screened in Israel, or whether the IDF will issue further responses to the film's allegations. Zohar's proposal to strip the directors of their citizenship would face significant legal hurdles under Israeli law. Revocation is legally possible in cases including disloyalty, espionage, treason or terrorism, but requires approval through a formal legal process and judicial oversight.

The row over NAZA has become one of the most closely watched cultural disputes to emerge from the war in Gaza, drawing in ministers, opposition politicians, military figures and the IDF itself within days of the film's Venice premiere. For now, the dispute remains centred on competing claims rather than settled fact: the film's allegations, the anonymous testimony underpinning them, and the IDF's rejection of that testimony are all, at this stage, assertions made by parties on opposing sides of the debate.