Whistleblower film Naza sparks backlash in Israel over AI targeting claims in Gaza

Whistleblower testimonies on automated targeting

The documentary film "Naza", directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and co-produced with The Guardian, presents anonymous accounts from 24 former Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers. The interviewees describe the integration of artificial intelligence systems, including programs designated "Lavender" and "Where's Daddy?", to accelerate target identification in the Gaza Strip. Operating without voiceover narration, the film shows whistleblowers on Tel Aviv rooftops sketching algorithms and explaining color codes used to establish strike urgency for suspects tied to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. One interviewee stated that 20 civilian collateral deaths, known by the Hebrew military acronym "nezek agavi" or "Naza", served as a standard guideline, while another cited an authorized ceiling of 500 civilian casualties for a single target. The Israel Defense Forces rejected that 500-casualty figure as false and denied that AI software independently decides strike authorizations.

Festival reception and political backlash

The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September 2026, earning a 25-minute standing ovation and the Special Jury Prize. International media outlets reviewed the work, with El Mundo calling it monumental and New York Magazine describing it as one of the most important films of the era. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government officials condemned the film as a national security threat and labeled the directors state enemies, with political figures demanding the revocation of Abraham and Szor's citizenship during election campaigning. Outside Israel, demonstrations occurred at the New York Film Festival premiere, where protesters displayed body camera footage from the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Abraham addressed the public reaction and the ongoing military actions in an interview.

“Denial and ignorance continue, while only 60 kilometers away systematic killings and a genocide persist.”

Ground operations and collateral thresholds

Coordinated by the Israeli veterans organization Breaking the Silence (Shovrim Shtika), three soldiers from military intelligence and drone units gave further interviews to international media from Jerusalem and through encrypted Signal calls. The personnel, who risked treason charges that carry the death penalty under wartime law, corroborated operational guidelines used during the campaign. They cited specific missions, such as the October 31, 2023 strike on residential buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp targeting Hamas battalion commander Ibrahim Biari. While the military attributed the October 7 attack (which killed over 1,200 people and took 250 hostages) partly to Biari, an intelligence soldier stated command approved the Jabalia bombing despite an anticipated collateral casualty toll of 300 civilians. The offensive has resulted in more than 74,000 deaths in Gaza since October 2023, including 1,417 killed during the ceasefire year.