By Pesach Benson • September 14, 2026
Jerusalem, 14 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli political figures traded sharply opposing reactions Monday to “NAZA,” an Israeli documentary about the Gaza War that won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, with right-wing politicians calling it an attack on Israel and opposition figures defending the filmmakers’ right to criticize the military.
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said he would seek to revoke the Israeli citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, accusing them of committing an “act of treason against the state.”
Democrats MK Naama Lazimi attacked Zohar’s suggestion, calling it “madness in its purest form.”
“You really don’t need ‘public diplomacy terror attacks’ when you have ministers like these,” Lazimi wrote.
The controversy centers partly on the British-funded film’s claim that Israel approved a Gaza strike in which up to 500 civilian deaths were anticipated. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday rejected the allegation as “completely false,” saying it had never planned, approved or carried out such a strike.
“NAZA” is a Hebrew acronym referring to collateral damage. The film was produced by The Guardian, a British daily.
The military also challenged the documentary’s use of anonymous sources, saying their identities, military service and involvement in the events described could not be independently verified. It rejected allegations that artificial intelligence determines which targets are struck, saying strike decisions are made by human personnel.
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar! party, condemned the film, saying its creators had presented “a distorted and one-sided picture” and “cast a moral stain” on Israeli soldiers.
Israeli-Arab activist Yoseph Haddad similarly rejected the film’s international acclaim, writing that it represented “anti-Israel pride” rather than Israeli pride.
“They know the formula for an international award is a film that smears the IDF,” Haddad wrote.
Israel Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman said the filmmakers had exploited the war for international recognition.
“There are people who, for a moment of fame and applause at a festival, are willing to sell their country,” Liberman wrote, accusing Abraham and Szor of turning the war into “a campaign of slander and blood libels” against Israel and the IDF.
Democrats candidate Moshe Radman said he had not seen the film and could not assess whether it was “truly fair and faithful to the source,” but added that “it is good to have dialogue” and “it is good to have criticism.”
Former Meretz MK Mossi Raz congratulated Abraham and Szor, saying their “right, and perhaps even their duty, to create” should be defended.
The debate over the film comes against the backdrop of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war. At least 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage during the assault on communities in southern Israel.
