Israeli Ministers Condemn Filmmakers Behind Gaza Documentary After Venice Win

Two Israeli ministers have strongly condemned the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind Naza, a documentary examining Israel's military operations in Gaza, following its major win at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor to be stripped of their Israeli citizenship. Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir described the pair as a “disgrace and an embarrassment” and told them to leave the country.

The backlash followed Naza winning the Special Jury Prize at Venice, just two days after its premiere received a record-breaking standing ovation lasting about 24 and a half minutes.

Zohar accused the filmmakers of being willing to “harm their homeland in order to receive applause from anti-Semites around the world”. Writing on X on Sunday, he added: “I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for betraying the state.”

Ben-Gvir echoed these sentiments on X, stating: “I am certain that your friends, that is to say our enemies Hamas in Gaza, will welcome you with open arms.”

The 80-minute documentary examines how Israel selects targets in Gaza, including its use of artificial intelligence. It draws on clandestine interviews conducted over three years with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers. The participants, whose identities are concealed, were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv with their faces and voices digitally altered. They describe military operations in which strikes were carried out despite awareness that civilians were present.

The film takes its title from an Israeli military term referring to the number of civilians expected to be killed in an air strike. One interviewee claims that approval was given for an attack on a single Hamas member despite the possibility that as many as 500 civilians could be killed.

The Israeli military has rejected the allegations in Naza and questioned its reliance on anonymous testimony, stating that the identities and positions of those interviewed could not be verified. It acknowledged using AI to assist in identifying targets, but emphasized that decisions on whether to carry out strikes are ultimately made by humans.

Naza was one of the most talked-about films at the festival. Audience members held Palestinian flags during the lengthy ovation that followed its premiere on Thursday.

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, who served on the festival jury, praised Abraham and Szor's approach after presenting them with the Special Jury Prize. She commended the directors for finding a way to document testimonies anonymously in a project produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, with The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer serving as an executive producer.

When accepting the award, Abraham stressed the importance of the documentary being seen in Israel, noting that denial helps crimes persist. He also credited Palestinian journalists for documenting events in Gaza from the beginning, mentioning that more than 200 of them have been killed by Israel.

Previously, Abraham and Szor were among the four directors of No Other Land, which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2025 alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. That film also drew criticism from Zohar, who does not have the legal authority as culture minister to unilaterally revoke Israeli citizenship.