NAZA about Gaza gets 25 mins standing ovation

A Venice Film Festival documentary has sparked outrage by revealing Israeli military targeting decisions in Gaza that routinely anticipated mass civilian deaths. "NAZA," directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, draws on testimony from intelligence officers and soldiers. The film's title is derived from an Israeli military term meaning the expected number of collateral casualties in air strikes.

According to Gaza health authorities, over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign, which began in response to a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed around 1,200 people. Israel claims it has taken measures to minimize civilian casualties, stating Hamas uses Gaza's civilians as shields. However, the film presents a starkly different narrative.

Intelligence officers describe an AI-assisted targeting system that identified targets using data from hacked mobile phones. They say a phrase like "dad's home" picked up on a child's phone would trigger an airstrike. The officers also discussed killing civilians in Israeli-designated no-go zones, which residents were not informed about. One officer stated, "They have to learn with blood."

Several interviewed officers drew parallels between their experiences and historical patterns of dehumanization, comparing them to Israel's actions in Gaza and the Nazi Holocaust. The film aims to draw a universal conclusion from these parallels. Notably, several of the officers interviewed have backgrounds in elite units and do not align with the stereotype of ideological hardliners, some even identifying as left-wing.

The film's directors wanted to contrast daily life in Tel Aviv with the devastation in Gaza, roughly 60 km away. The majority of interviews were filmed on rooftops at night, with scenes of destruction from Gaza shown briefly at the end. The directors hoped to highlight how life in Tel Aviv continues despite the ongoing conflict. The Israel Defense Forces did not respond to a request for comment on the documentary.

All interviews are filmed on rooftops in Tel Aviv at night. Scenes of destruction from Gaza are shown briefly at the end. The directors aimed to emphasize the contrast between life in Israel's commercial capital and the devastation unfolding in Gaza, about 37 miles away.