Controversial Gaza Documentary 'NAZA' Secures Global Free Release Amid Israeli Threats to Revoke Directors' Citizenship

On a darkened rooftop in Tel Aviv, 24 Israeli intelligence officers outlined the details of their work to two filmmakers, detailing the alleged use of artificial intelligence to authorize strikes in Gaza. Now, the resulting 80-minute documentary, NAZA, is bypassing traditional distribution models to reach a global audience, even as its Israeli creators face the unprecedented threat of losing their nationality. Following a theatrical rollout across more than 50 countries, the film will stream entirely free of charge on The Guardian's website beginning in late November.[2][7]

The decision to drop the paywall was driven by what co-director Yuval Abraham described as the "interest and public importance" of the testimonies. Abraham and co-director Rachel Szor, who previously won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for No Other Land, secured the free streaming deal with The Guardian, which also co-produced the film. "After its run in cinemas, the film will stream on The Guardian's website, for free, as part of the news organisation's commitment to the dissemination of independent journalism," the British publication confirmed on September 24, 2026.[2][3][4][7]

NAZA—a Hebrew military acronym used by Israeli intelligence to denote the expected number of civilian casualties in an airstrike—builds on investigative journalism published between 2023 and 2025. The film's core relies on interviews with two dozen anonymous military and intelligence whistleblowers. According to the filmmakers, these insiders describe a system where AI-powered mapping tools recommended apartment buildings for bombardment, with the military allegedly accepting high ratios of civilian deaths to eliminate single Hamas operatives. "We are letting the soldiers and the officers speak about what they did," Abraham stated.[1][4][7]

The documentary's September 12, 2026 premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival culminated in a 25-minute standing ovation and the Special Jury Prize. But the reception in Israel has been fiercely hostile. Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar condemned the festival victory as "shocking," accusing Abraham and Szor of a "betrayal of the state." "The self-loathing that burns in the creators, who are willing to harm their homeland just to get applause from anti-semites around the world, is inconceivable," Zohar wrote on social media, vowing to "act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship" of both directors.[1][4]

That threat has rapidly materialized into administrative and legislative action. By September 22, Israel's Population and Immigration Authority confirmed it was conducting an "assessment of legal feasibility" regarding the revocation of the directors' citizenship. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video announcing that his government would advance two new bills specifically targeting the filmmakers. The first bill seeks to strip the nationality of anyone who "defames" Israeli soldiers abroad, while the second aims to multiply the statutory damages for defamation lawsuits by 20 times. "We will hit them both in their pockets and in their citizenship, as their place is not with us," Netanyahu declared.[4][5][6]

The legislative push marks a severe escalation in the state's response to domestic dissent. Under current Israeli national law, stripping a citizen of their nationality requires the interior minister to submit a formal request, which must then secure the justice minister's approval before facing judicial validation. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a stark warning on September 17, calling the proposed laws a "dangerous escalation in official efforts to intimidate and punish journalists." "Israeli authorities are moving from public threats against journalists to pursuing legislation that could strip them of their citizenship for their reporting," said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah, demanding an immediate end to the campaign against the filmmakers.[1][5]

The Israel Defense Forces have categorically rejected the documentary's premise. Following the Venice premiere, military leadership convened senior officials, including the commander of the elite 8200 intelligence unit, to address the film's claims. The military denounced the allegations as "blood libels" and a "deliberate distortion of reality," maintaining that human commanders, not artificial intelligence, make all final targeting decisions and assess potential civilian harm before approving strikes.[1]

As the political storm intensifies, the physical safety of the filmmakers has become a pressing concern. Following Netanyahu's announcement, dozens of right-wing protesters gathered outside the home of Szor's parents, prompting the deployment of police and border security forces. Despite the domestic backlash, the filmmakers and their distributors are pushing forward. While the film expands to global theaters on September 28, the producers have also offered NAZA to several Israeli distributors at no cost, hoping to secure domestic screenings parallel to its international release.[2][5][7]