Netanyahu Demands Probe Into Anonymous Sources Behind Award-Winning Gaza Documentary “NAZA”

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for an investigation into the anonymous sources featured in “NAZA,” the award-winning documentary on the Gaza war, and asked that the participants be prosecuted.

In an X post, he said he asked the Chief of general staff, the head of the Shin Bet and the attorney general to open a thorough inquiry targeting those who took part in the film. According to the post, he urged them to identify everyone involved or appearing in it and open criminal investigations into alleged offences involving information security, criminal defamation and harm to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests. Netanyahu said the film tells a false, misleading and biased story that defames the state and the army worldwide.

The documentary is based on testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers who accused the Israeli military of killing large numbers of civilians in Gaza through AI-powered targeting systems. Its title comes from the Hebrew military acronym for expected civilian casualties in airstrikes, shorthand for “collateral damage.” Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, where the film received a record 25-minute standing ovation.

The Israeli army has categorically rejected the allegations and questioned the reliability of the anonymous contributors. Netanyahu has also said he intends to back legislation to strip citizenship from people who defame soldiers. Earlier, Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for the filmmakers’ citizenship to be revoked.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.