Israeli Culture Minister Vows to Strip Citizenship From Filmmakers Over Gaza Documentary

Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, winners of the Special Jury Prize for NAZA, attend a photocall on the red carpet following the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido on September 12, 2026.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has announced plans to initiate proceedings to revoke the citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following the success of their documentary, NAZA, which focuses on Israel’s actions in Gaza and earned the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Miki Zohar condemned the documentary as “vile” and described its recognition at the festival as “shocking.” He further accused Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor of damaging the nation “just to get applause from antisemites around the world,” labeling their actions as treason against the state.

“As culture minister, I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state,” Miki Zohar wrote online.

The 80-minute documentary investigates Israel’s utilization of artificial intelligence systems in what the Venice Film Festival official synopsis describes as “calculated mass killings” of Palestinians in Gaza. The film was met with a prolonged 25-minute standing ovation during its premiere at the event.

The production includes accounts from anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel. These interviewees detailed an AI system known as “Lavender,” which was reportedly employed to track telecommunications among Palestinians in Gaza to facilitate targeted killings.

Following the screening, Yuval Abraham expressed his desire that the documentary would encourage Western governments to implement economic sanctions against Israel.