NAZA, a documentary by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and has become among the year’s most controversial films. The film presents testimony from 24 Israeli military officers describing what they characterize as systematic protocols for targeting civilians in the Gaza conflict. The documentary’s title references an acronym used by the Israeli military to denote civilian casualties.
Abraham and Szor, both part of the director collective behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, produced NAZA over a three-year period conducted largely in secret. They filmed interviews on Tel Aviv rooftops during nighttime hours and employed visual effects to obscure the identities and voices of the participating officers. The testimonies documented in the film describe various alleged practices, including surveillance techniques and actions at civilian sites. The film received a 25-minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere.
The documentary builds on investigative journalism conducted between 2023 and 2025 in partnership with The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. Jonathan Glazer, the Oscar-winning director of The Zone of Interest, served as executive producer. Abraham described the filmmaking process as requiring months or years in some cases to secure participation from the officers, emphasizing the importance of obtaining informed consent from contributors who recognized the sensitivity of the information being disclosed.
The Israel Defence Forces issued a statement rejecting the film’s allegations and criticizing the use of anonymous testimonies, stating they “cannot be verified.” The military reiterated its position that it “strikes military targets and makes unprecedented efforts to minimize harm to civilians.” Mk2 Films is managing worldwide distribution of the documentary.
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