In simple terms, NAZA is a 2026 documentary that uses anonymous interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence insiders to show how Israel’s war in Gaza has involved a planned, system-driven killing of large numbers of civilians, not just accidental “collateral damage”
What “NAZA” means
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NAZA is a Hebrew military acronym (from nezek agavi) used by the Israel Defense Forces to mean the number of civilians expected to die in a single airstrike.wikipedia+1
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In practice, a target might be labelled something like “20 NAZA”, meaning approval was given to kill up to 20 civilians while trying to hit a suspected Hamas member.bfi.org+1
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The title itself is a critique: it turns a cold, bureaucratic term for “collateral damage” into the lens for the whole film.
What the documentary tells us
The film argues that the high civilian death toll in Gaza is not a mistake or unavoidable side‑effect, but the result of deliberate policies and systems.
Key points it makes, in plain language:
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System, not accidents: The insiders describe a structured process where civilian deaths are calculated in advance and accepted as part of operations.
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AI and mass surveillance: They say Israel uses artificial intelligence tools to scan phone data and other signals, flagging large numbers of people as possible low‑level Hamas targets, often with weak or automated checks.
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Hitting homes at night: Strikes are often directed at private apartments and family homes at night, because targets are more likely to be there, even when their families are inside.
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High “NAZA” thresholds: Interviewees claim that in some cases, very high civilian casualty numbers were approved for a single target (for example, up to 500 NAZA for one person).
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Displacement and destruction as strategy: Some testimonies suggest that destroying neighbourhoods and forcing people out is part of a broader strategic goal to control territory, not just to hit militants.bfi.org+1
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Bureaucratic language: The film shows how words like “NAZA” and avoiding phrases like “women and children” help normalise mass killing inside the system.
Who made it and why it matters
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Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the same Israeli filmmakers behind No Other Land, and produced with The Guardian.
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It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2026 and is built around anonymous testimonies from people who say they worked inside the intelligence and military machinery behind the Gaza war and was awarded the prestigious Special Jury Prize.
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The filmmakers’ stated aim is to show how the killing system works from the inside, and how the world has allowed it to continue.
Israel reaction
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the film “shocking” and accused it of feeding global anti‑Semitic incitement.
- An IDF spokesperson said the military “categorically rejects” the film’s claims, questioned the credibility of anonymous sources.
- Culture Minister Miki Zohar asked the Interior Ministry to examine whether the directors’ conduct could justify revoking their Israeli citizenship.
- The IDF spokesperson has invited the filmmakers to show the full film to military representatives so each allegation can be addressed “on merits.”
NOTE – The above report has been sourced from AI and different media outlets who have reported the news.
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