Israeli premier orders prosecution of soldiers who exposed Gaza mass killings in NAZA documentary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the security establishment and the country’s attorney-general to identify and prosecute soldiers and officers interviewed in the investigative documentary NAZA about Israel’s mass killings of civilians in Gaza, Israeli media reported Monday. In a letter to army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet chief David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Netanyahu accused those who participated in the documentary of committing “serious information security offenses, and criminal defamation” and causing harm to “Israel’s diplomatic and security interests,” according to Haaretz newspaper. The award-winning documentary examines Israel’s use of artificial intelligence and automated surveillance systems in targeted killings and military operations during its genocidal war in Gaza. The film’s title, "NAZA," refers to an acronym used by Israeli military intelligence to denote the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike. During the war, the Israeli army has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 others since October 2023 in a brutal offensive that has left the entire enclave in ruins. Netanyahu claimed that the film has presented a “false, misleading and biased narrative” that defames Israel and its military and damages the country’s international standing. “There is concern that those involved in the defamatory film committed serious criminal offenses by exposing highly classified information and creating a breach in the information security of a highly sensitive intelligence unit,” he said in the letter. The film, based on testimony from 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival last month. Following the award, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar asked the Interior Ministry to consider revoking the citizenship of the film’s creators, describing the documentary as “vile” and accusing them of “treason.” Zamir separately ordered Military Intelligence, the Military Advocate General’s Corps and the Israeli Air Force to identify the soldiers featured in the film and determine whether they were active-duty troops, career officers or reservists, according to Haaretz. During discussions on the issue, Military Advocate General Itai Offir said that there would be no legal basis for criminal prosecution unless participants were found to have committed information-security violations or disclosed classified material. He said disciplinary or command measures could, however, be taken if military orders were violated. The Israeli army claimed that the documentary’s portrayal of its targeting procedures in Gaza contained “substantial factual errors.” The Guardian, which produced the documentary, defended the film, saying the process used to assess the credibility of the testimonies was “rigorous” and included classified documents, verification of specific strikes and corroboration from additional confidential sources. The newspaper said it had interviewed more than 100 people familiar with Israeli military systems used during the war in Gaza, including senior commanders involved in authorizing strikes. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The International Court of Justice, the UN’s principal judicial organ, is also hearing a case brought by South Africa and joined by several countries accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.