14-09-2026
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.
Entities: Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, NAZA, Venice Film Festival • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
The article reports that Israel’s culture minister, Miki Zohar, has asked authorities to investigate whether Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor committed acts amounting to “aiding the enemy” by making and releasing their documentary, “Naza.” Zohar has also raised the possibility of revoking their Israeli citizenship on the grounds of a “breach of allegiance to the State of Israel,” although the measure has rarely been used.
“Naza,” which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, alleges that Israeli military targeting systems, including artificial-intelligence tools, have enabled the systematic killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The film is based on interviews with 24 unidentified Israeli military and intelligence officers. One interviewee allegedly claimed that authorization was given for an attack expected to kill 500 people in pursuit of a single target. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called that allegation “completely false” and said the documentary contains serious and false claims, while inviting the filmmakers to allow military representatives to view the full film.
The report places the allegations in the context of the Gaza war, which followed the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 73,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children, have been killed; the UN considers the figures reliable. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the Hamas attack.
Zohar and other Israeli politicians have condemned the filmmakers, but more than 700 film-industry professionals signed a petition supporting them. Abraham said the documentary’s reporting was rigorous and intended to demonstrate that civilian deaths were systemic rather than accidental. The filmmakers previously won an Oscar for “No Other Land,” and “Naza” received a special jury prize and a lengthy standing ovation in Venice.
Entities: Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Naza documentary, Israel • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
Israel’s 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 purported Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers who allege that artificial-intelligence targeting systems were used in Gaza in ways that resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
Zohar described the award as “shocking” and accused the filmmakers of betraying Israel. He said he had contacted senior officials at the Population Authority and Interior Ministry to examine whether the directors’ citizenship could be denied for an alleged breach of trust and cooperation with the enemy. He also called for an investigation into how the documentary’s materials were obtained and whether their publication could assist Israel’s enemies during wartime.
Israeli law permits citizenship revocation under certain circumstances, but the process requires a request from the interior minister, approval by the justice minister, and judicial validation. The Interior Ministry had not immediately responded to the report.
Other Israeli officials, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, also condemned the filmmakers. Abraham and Szor previously won an Oscar for “No Other Land,” a documentary about Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Following the Venice screening, Abraham said the interviewed intelligence officers described mass killing in Gaza as systemic and deliberate, rooted in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces criticized the film’s reliance on anonymous sources, saying their identities could not be verified, and reiterated its denial of deliberately targeting civilians. Film critics nevertheless characterized “NAZA” as urgent and deeply disturbing, with one publication saying it provoked profound outrage and disgust toward Israel’s current government.
Entities: Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sports • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
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.
Entities: Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Itamar Ben-Gvir, NAZA documentary • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
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.
Entities: NAZA, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Miki Zohar, Itamar Ben-Gvir • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
The article reports that Israeli Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered the military prosecutor to investigate possible legal action against the filmmakers behind NAZA, an Israeli-made documentary about the war in Gaza. The film recently won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, bringing international attention to its examination of how Israeli military operations in Gaza are allegedly organized and carried out.
According to a statement posted by the Israeli military on social media, Zamir directed legal officials to “examine and advance possible legal measures” against the film and the people involved in producing it. The military justified the review by citing what it described as the dissemination of false claims about Israeli soldiers, as well as possible risks to their personal safety and to Israel’s national security.
NAZA was made by filmmaker Rachel Szor and journalist Yuval Abraham. The documentary features Abraham interviewing 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel. To protect the participants’ identities, their faces and voices were altered so they could not be recognized. The article says the film explores alleged mechanisms underlying Israeli warfare in Gaza, but it does not provide further details about the interviews or the specific claims made in the documentary.
The military’s decision represents an official response to a film that has received significant recognition abroad. The report does not state whether any legal proceedings have begun, what specific laws might be invoked, or how the filmmakers have responded to the military’s announcement. It presents the dispute as a conflict between the army’s concerns about alleged misinformation and security, and the documentary’s examination of Israel’s conduct during the Gaza war.
Entities: Israel, Gaza, NAZA, Eyal Zamir, Rachel Szor • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
14-09-2026
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.
Entities: Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Israel, Gaza • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
