Why a New Documentary on Gaza Has Sparked Outrage and Threats Against Israeli Filmmakers

Graffiti branding Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the directors of the documentary film Naza 'traitors' in Hebrew, appeared on a wall in Ashdod, southern Israel, highlighting the intense political divisions ahead of the country's October elections. Despite these divisions, the furious response to the new documentary regarding the military's actions in Gaza has united much of Israel's political and media establishment.

Few central allegations in NAZA, produced by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, are entirely new. Previous reports indicated the military relied on artificial intelligence systems to generate targets in Gaza, often resulting in high civilian casualties to eliminate single individuals. Accusations of genocide, engineered famine, and the unlawful killing of children had previously received minimal attention within Israel.

However, the premiere of NAZA at the Venice Film Festival—where it earned a 25-minute standing ovation—drew severe backlash and propelled these allegations into the core of Israeli political discourse. Culture Minister Miki Zohar demanded the directors be stripped of their citizenship and investigated for treason by the internal intelligence service. Army chief Eyal Zamir dismissed the film as a blood libel and ordered a legal probe to identify military and intelligence sources. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the film while pushing legislation to revoke citizenship for those accused of smearing soldiers, alongside the threatening graffiti found in Ashdod.

Orly Noy, an editor at Local Call, remarked on the extreme local reaction, noting that even journalists were competing to attack the filmmakers, their friends, and their families. A late 2025 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists highlighted escalating censorship, with local media acting as part of the war effort. A Molad think tank study found that Channel 12's coverage largely omitted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and civilian casualties.

Anat Saragusti of the Union of Journalists in Israel explained that mainstream media outlets failed to properly investigate army conduct or cover the Palestinian perspective, leaving the public shocked by the film. This was compounded by a dominant national narrative framing the war as an unavoidable consequence of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

Political opposition figures, including former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, also heavily criticized the film, labeling it a blood libel and a display of moral blindness. As the October elections approach, analysts like Daniel Bar-Tal and Orly Noy suggest the widespread condemnation reflects a growing wave of intense nationalism and concern over the state of freedom of expression in Israel.