According to the Guardian, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, has asked the Attorney General, the Chief of the Military General Staff and the head of the Homeland Security Administration to urgently identify all participants in the documentary “NAZA” and to investigate and prosecute them on charges of leaking military secrets, criminal libel and damaging Israeli diplomatic and security interests.
The documentary interviewed 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel. They hid their faces in front of the camera, changed their voices, and described how the Israeli military used artificial intelligence and large-scale surveillance systems to screen targets for Gaza air strikes, and how they approved the bombing despite knowing it could cause large numbers of civilian deaths.
The film‘s title “NAZA” derives from the abbreviation used by Israeli military intelligence, meaning the estimated number of civilian casualties caused by air raids.
Benjamin Netanyahu Orders to Track Officers Interviewed After the NAZA Reveals the Gaza Massacre
The production team said that over the past three years, they interviewed more than 100 sources familiar with the military‘s combat system, including senior commanders directly involved in approving air strikes, and cross-checked testimonies through classified documents, specific air strike events, and more.
The film was premiereed at the Venice International Film Festival in September, earning up to 25 minutes of standing applause and winning a special jury award.
Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sauer were subsequently subjected to fierce attacks in Israel. Both were accused of “traitance” and government officials threatened to deprive them of their nationality.
In Ashdod, a city in southern Israel, portraits of two directors appeared on a wall, with the word “traitors” scrawled beside them in Hebrew. Outside Saul‘s parents‘ home in Savion, protesters also shouted “Death to traitors.”
The IDF denies the film’s allegations, claiming it distorts the facts. The IDF chief of staff has previously requested an investigation into whether the military in the film leaked secrets.
The European Union of Journalists condemned the move as a threat to journalists. The Guardian said it was an attempt to divert public attention from the mass deaths of civilians in Gaza.
East-West Questions Combined from the Guardian, Al Jazeera, AFP, etc.