IDF rejects Gaza strike claim in Oscar-winning filmmakers’ ‘NAZA’: ‘Completely false’

The IDF Spokesperson's Office strongly rejected overnight a claim made in the film "NAZA" that an attack in Gaza had been planned or approved in which approximately 500 civilians were expected to be killed.

In an English-language statement published on 𝕏, the IDF said the allegation was “completely false.”

According to the IDF, “A strike in which the IDF expected that such a number of civilians, or even a number approaching it, would be killed was never planned, approved or carried out.” The military also said that throughout the war, no credible allegation had been made that an IDF strike caused a death toll approaching 500.

The IDF further argued that the filmmakers could not have verified the claim and there was no substantive evidence supporting it, yet they chose to publish it. The military also said the identity of the interviewee in the film could not be independently verified, including whether the individual served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether the person was involved in the matters being discussed. This latter wording closely matches the IDF’s official English statement: “the film relies on anonymous testimonies from individuals whose identity cannot be verified, including whether they served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether they were involved in the matters about which the allegations are being made.”

The statement concluded that such a strike “was never planned, approved or carried out,” adding that the IDF questioned why the filmmakers chose to feature that allegation in promoting the film.

The documentary NAZA, by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously worked on No Other Land, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday. According to the film’s synopsis, it examines “the mechanisms behind the mass killing in Gaza” and is based on testimony from 24 IDF soldiers and officers. The title is derived from the Hebrew military acronym for “collateral damage.”

The film drew significant attention at its premiere last Thursday, when the audience reportedly gave the filmmakers a standing ovation lasting nearly 25 minutes. NAZA builds on investigations previously published by Local Call, +972 Magazine and Britain’s Guardian.

In his acceptance speech, Abraham addressed criticism of the film in Israel.

“It is not easy to stand here when I think about the Israeli politicians and journalists who are attacking the film and dismissing it without having seen it at all,” he said.

Abraham added that the film was intended to expose the reality behind the fighting and urged both Israeli and international audiences to watch it and consider the facts it presents.