Netanyahu asks army, Shin Bet and attorney-general to prosecute participants in Gaza film "NAZA"

Right · 2On Sunday 11 October 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the IDF Chief of Staff, the Shin Bet director and the legal authorities to open a thorough investigation into the participants in the documentary "NAZA" and to prosecute them. 1 2 Right · 1According to the Jerusalem Post, which cited a letter released by the Prime Minister's Office, the letter was addressed to Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, and cited severe information security offenses, criminal defamation and damage to Israel's diplomatic and security interests. 2 Right · 2Netanyahu said the film "spins a false, misleading, and biased narrative" that defames Israel and the army worldwide; AFP, carried by Arab News, reports the same statement and names the state attorney as the recipient. 2 1

Right · 1AFP describes the film as based on testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli military whistleblowers who accuse the army of killing numerous civilians in Gaza using AI-powered targeting systems; its title is the military term for expected civilian casualties, short for the Hebrew for "collateral damage". 1 Right · 1The film won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, received a 25-minute standing ovation, and has caused a political storm in Israel. 1 Right · 1The Israeli army has "categorically" rejected the film's accusations and doubted the reliability of the anonymous contributors, and Netanyahu has previously said he would back legislation to strip citizenship from people who "defame" soldiers. 1

Left · 1ABC News (Australia) names the film's directors as Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who it says faced allegations of treason and threats against them and their families; it also reports that NAZA is due to screen in some Australian cinemas later this week. 3 Left · 1ABC adds that Reporters Without Borders and other organisations condemned the Netanyahu government's attacks on NAZA and its team as an example of attacks on the media ahead of the Israeli election on 27 October, and that Netanyahu challenger Gadi Eisenkot had echoed the government's criticism of the film. 3 Right · 1Separately, three Israeli creators released a rebuttal documentary, "NAZA: The Real Story", with English subtitles; the Prime Minister's Office said its makers received certificates of appreciation from public diplomacy directorate head Tzipi Hotovely, and that it features soldiers' testimonies and refutes "blood libels" against troops. 2

Right · 1AFP adds context that Israel's Gaza campaign, launched after Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks, has killed more than 74,000 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable. 1