Gaza documentary puts Israeli filmmakers’ citizenship at risk

Israel’s culture minister has called for an investigation into the filmmakers behind Naza, a documentary alleging systematic civilian killings in Gaza, and raised the possibility of revoking their Israeli citizenship.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar accused Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor of “treason against the state” over the documentary, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week.

In a post on X, Zohar said he had asked authorities to investigate how the film’s material was obtained and whether its production or publication involved actions that could amount to aiding the enemy during wartime.

Zohar also cited Israel’s Citizenship Law, which allows citizenship to be revoked for a “breach of allegiance to the State of Israel”. The measure, however, has rarely been used.

The 80-minute documentary features testimony from 24 unidentified Israeli military and intelligence personnel about AI-powered targeting systems allegedly used by the Israeli army in Gaza. One interviewee claims approval was given for an attack that could kill 500 people to target one person. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has rejected the allegation as “completely false”.

The filmmakers say the documentary examines the systems behind what they describe as the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Abraham and Szor have not yet publicly responded to Zohar’s remarks.

The film received a 25-minute standing ovation at Venice and won the festival’s Special Jury Award. It was produced by the UK-based Guardian newspaper.

The IDF said the film contained “serious and false allegations” based on promotional material and invited the filmmakers to allow its representatives to watch the full documentary before addressing its claims.

More than 700 members of Israel’s film industry have signed a petition supporting the filmmakers, accusing critics of running a campaign of “incitement and vilification”.

MaT