Israeli Culture Minister Threatens Citizenship Revocation Over Gaza Documentary NAZA After Venice Prize

Venice prize triggers fury

The Gaza war documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and received a 25-minute standing ovation, but it sparked fury in Israel as Revital Hershko said the directors should be "in jail for betraying the country, betraying the army, betraying Jewish [people] all over the world."

In Jerusalem, Dalia Shemtov, a resident of Netanya, said of the film: "It's not true what they said. They lie. All the soldiers, they didn't do anything."

CBC reported that NAZA details Israeli war tactics used in Gaza, including AI systems that, by design, target wanted individuals in civilian spaces, such as apartment buildings, leading to the deaths of average Palestinians.

The IDF rejected the film's allegations and said Lt.-Gen Eyal Zamir instructed military lawyers to explore legal options against the filmmakers.

The controversy is tied to the film’s claims about targeting decisions and civilian deaths during Israel’s war on Hamas, which CBC said has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to officials there.

Reporting for this sectionCBC

IDF and Netanyahu respond

On Monday, Israeli army chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir ordered a legal review, instructing the military prosecutor to "examine and advance possible legal measures concerning the film and those involved in it," according to the military post cited by South China Morning Post. The same day, Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram that it was "intolerable" that Israel must "fight antisemitic incitement" both globally and within, adding that "two Israeli directors portraying the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) as war criminals receive applause at the Venice festival." South China Morning Post said NAZA examines alleged mechanisms behind Israeli warfare in Gaza and is built around interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence staff whose voices and faces are rendered unrecognisable.

Deccan Herald reported Zamir consulted with top generals about how to respond, saying the film is "based on blood libels" and "deliberate distortions of reality," and that the military would examine possible legal measures against those suspected of disseminating false allegations and disclosing classified materials. Deccan Herald also said Israel’s minister of culture Miki Zohar asked authorities to examine whether Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor could be stripped of their Israeli citizenship on grounds of "betraying the state of Israel."

Reporting for this sectionSouth China Morning PostThe Arab Weekly

Citizenship threats and stakes

As the backlash escalated, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar threatened to revoke the citizenship of the filmmakers, writing on X: "I will immediately move to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state." Al-Ain Al-Akhbariyah reported that the Israeli army denied a specific claim in the film’s promotional clip, saying what appeared in the documentary about approval of a Gaza raid expected to kill 500 civilians is "completely false." Deccan Herald said the filmmakers’ domestic criticism has erupted even though NAZA has not yet been distributed and few in Israel have seen it, while the film’s 80-minute runtime and its interviews with 24 people are central to the dispute.

CBC reported that Eliya Cohen, a man held captive in Gaza for 505 days, said on Instagram: "I'm angry on a level I can't describe." Across the coverage, the stakes described in the sources include potential legal consequences for those involved, with the IDF saying it would examine steps against the filmmakers and the culture minister seeking citizenship revocation tied to "treason" and "betraying the state of Israel."

Reporting for this sectionAl-Arabi Al-JadidAl-Ain Al-Akhbariyah