The Israeli Culture Minister demanded an investigation to identify the anonymous military sources featured in the award-winning documentary 'NAZA'. These sources accused the army of mass killing of civilians in Gaza.
In the film, directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor interviewed 24 anonymous Israeli military informants. They described AI-based targeting systems used to bomb Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.
The 80-minute documentary received a special prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.
In a post on the social network X, Culture Minister Micha Zahar stated that he had instructed authorities to 'investigate how the materials were obtained, who is behind them, and whether any actions equivalent to aiding the enemy during wartime were committed during the acquisition or publication of these materials.' He also announced that he requested the Ministry of Interior to consider revoking the citizenship of the two directors due to 'treason.'
Zahar emphasized: 'Freedom of expression is not a license for betraying the state. Anyone who acts against Israel during wartime must know that they will pay a price.' In Israel, the revocation of citizenship is legally possible, although such a measure is rarely applied.
In 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel confirmed the state's right to strip individuals of citizenship for violating 'state loyalty,' such as through espionage or treason.
The Israeli army criticized the use of anonymous testimonies in the film and disputed one interviewee's claim that the army approved an airstrike that killed 500 civilians. The army stated in its Monday announcement: 'The directors could not verify this claim in any way; there are no real supporting proofs, yet they published it. Furthermore, nothing about the interviewee, nor their service or role, can be independently verified and confirmed.'
Israel denies intentionally targeting civilians. Abraham stated that 'the Israeli intelligence officers we spoke with told us that this mass killing is systemic: not accidental, but intentional.'
In the context of the events, it is mentioned that the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, which, according to AFP, resulted in the death of 1221 people. The militants also took 251 hostages in Gaza. Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, according to the health ministry of the territory operating under Hamas control, has claimed over 73,700 lives, and this ministry is considered a reliable data source by the United Nations.