Netanyahu calls for investigation into soldiers who testified in award-winning Gaza documentary

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for an investigation into soldiers and security personnel who gave anonymous testimony in the documentary NAZA, accusing the Israeli military of deliberately killing civilians in Gaza using AI systems.

A statement from the prime minister’s office said Netanyahu had asked the Israeli army chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic intelligence service) and the state attorney to “open a thorough investigation targeting the participants in the film NAZA and to prosecute them”.

The documentary, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, is based on testimony from 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel whose identities were concealed. They describe what they regard as the deliberate killing of large numbers of civilians during military operations in the Gaza Strip.

According to the documentary, NAZA is a term used in Israeli military circles as an abbreviation referring to the estimated “collateral damage” calculated before each strike.

The film, which received a 25-minute standing ovation after its screening in Venice, has sparked a political storm in Israel. Its directors, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, have been accused of “treason”, while some officials have called for them to be stripped of their Israeli citizenship.

In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said: “This film presents a false, misleading and biased narrative that defames the State of Israel and its army internationally.”