Zohar moves to revoke
Zohar wrote on X that he would “act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state,” framing the filmmakers’ work as betrayal.
The Guardian reported that NAZA is named for an acronym used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike on Gaza, and that the film includes interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence whistleblowers.T
The documentary’s title and claims were tied to allegations about “AI-powered targeting systems” used to bombard Gaza, and The Guardian said one interview claimed approval had been given to kill 500 NAZA in order to kill one Hamas member.T
TheWrap said Zohar vowed to “act to revoke” the citizenship of Abraham and Szor after the Venice win, and described NAZA as featuring testimony from Israel Defense Force soldiers about the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Left out by 6 of 8who reported it
Zohar says his funding reforms stopped citizens paying for harm to IDF soldiers. Reported by TheWrap and i24NEWS.
Ben-Gvir and IDF push back
The far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attacked the directors on X, telling them, “Go away!” and adding that he was “certain that your friends, that is to say our enemies Hamas in Gaza, will welcome you with open arms.”
The Guardian said Israel’s military responded to NAZA by saying it “categorically rejects” the allegations made in the documentary and criticized the use of anonymous testimonies, saying the identities of the whistleblowers “cannot be verified”.T
Variety described Zohar’s post as calling the film “shocking” and accusing the filmmakers of “betraying the state,” while also quoting Abraham’s response that it was “not very easy” to stand in Venice as politicians and journalists attacked the film “without even seeing it.”
Variety also reported that Abraham said “the denial of a crime is what helps it persist,” and that Israelis should watch the film because “it’s our country that is doing these crimes.”
In parallel, 20Minutos reported that Zohar accused the filmmakers of “treason against the country,” and said the Israeli Army contradicted the documentary by stating that decisions to bomb Gaza are always taken by human personnel and not by artificial intelligence (AI).
Legal process and wider stakes
It added that the law requires the interior minister to submit the revocation request, the justice minister to approve it and judges to validate it, setting out the formal steps behind Zohar’s threat.
The Guardian also said Abraham’s family home was targeted by a rightwing mob after the world premiere of 2024’s No Other Land, and Abraham told the outlet that “it’s US-funded bulldozers and weapons” rather than a mob that threatens Palestinians’ homes.T
TheWrap reported that NAZA does not yet have distribution in Israel, while Abraham said the filmmakers intended to “release it as widely as possible in Israel, and in the United States, and Germany,” and The Hollywood Reporter tied the documentary to testimony from 24 Israeli military officers.
In the wider political context, The Guardian said Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, and that Hamas militants took 251 hostages to Gaza, while the Gaza health ministry reported more than 73,000 deaths in the subsequent three years of Israeli bombardment.T