Israeli Military Rejects Documentary On Gaza Targeting

The Israeli military published a 10-page statement on Thursday challenging the documentary NAZA, which accuses Israeli forces of knowingly causing large numbers of civilian deaths during military operations in the Gaza Strip. The military said the film presents a distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture of how forces plan and approve airstrikes.

The military released the rebuttal after a military representative watched the full documentary at a screening in Bologna, Italy. Israeli officials had previously disputed allegations raised by the production using publicly available clips. The armed forces asserted that the filmmakers committed substantial factual errors stemming from a manipulative portrayal of reality.

According to the military, the film conflates preliminary intelligence tasks with the operational and legal procedures required before commanders carry out a strike. The military said directives explicitly differentiate between militants and civilians and forbid directing intentional attacks at civilians. It also said commanders must take feasible measures to reduce collateral damage.

The military also addressed claims about the role of artificial intelligence in targeting. The statement said automated systems do not independently authorize or conduct strikes. Instead, human intelligence officers identify targets and senior commanders approve decisions after reviewing potential civilian harm, the military said.

The military specifically denied one allegation that forces approved an attack anticipating the deaths of roughly 500 civilians for a single target. The statement said the armed forces never planned, approved or carried out a strike with that expected toll. The title of the documentary refers to a Hebrew military acronym designating collateral damage estimates.

The filmmakers, Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, directed the project, which was produced by The Guardian. The film draws on testimonies from 24 Israeli soldiers, including intelligence personnel who worked on target selection and air operations. It won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Following the military release, the production team said researchers consulted more than 100 people with knowledge of targeting systems during the conflict. Abraham and Szor maintain that the reporting was verified and that source material was reviewed by editors. The filmmakers have faced political criticism inside Israel, including statements by government officials questioning their citizenship.

The film team continues international screenings of the documentary, while the military said it will maintain standard operational review procedures for wartime strikes.