In ‘NAZA,’ Israeli whistleblowers’ revelations about civilian deaths in Gaza reflect a longer history of Palestinian isolation
Barriers, checkpoints and surveillance have made the plight of Palestinians easier to keep hidden. But thanks to films like ‘NAZA,’ that’s starting to change.
In the film "NAZA," Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have gathered anonymous testimony from 24 members of Israel's military and intelligence services. These individuals discuss how Israel employs artificial intelligence to target Hamas officials in Gaza, despite being aware that such attacks will result in a significant number of civilian casualties.
The title "NAZA" derives from the Hebrew term for "collateral damage," which is the threshold that the Israeli military uses to determine the acceptable number of civilian casualties in its military strikes on Gaza since the Hamas attacks in October 2023. The film's impact lies in its focus on the clinical manner in which strikes are carried out from a distance, as well as the systematic isolation of Palestinians that has occurred over the past decades.
The Israeli military has used walls, blockades, aerial surveillance, and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank to segregate Palestinians, making it difficult for them to enter or work in Israel. The documentary highlights how knowledge of Palestinian suffering is often downplayed in Israeli culture, politics, and daily life, and showcases the extent to which these events have been obscured in Israel and around the world.
The Israeli government has attempted to discredit the film, alleging "deliberate distortions of reality," and has even threatened to revoke the citizenship of its directors.
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