NAZA wins Venice Special Jury Prize amid sharp dispute with IDF over Gaza allegations

# What happened

NAZA, a documentary by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film premiered to a lengthy standing ovation—reported at roughly 24 to 25 minutes—and drew immediate international attention and controversy.

# What the film claims

# IDF response

Unit issued a categorical rejection of the documentary's allegations. Their statement made several specific points:

• The film relies largely on anonymous testimonies whose identities, military roles, and involvement could not be verified.
• Some claims in the film concern national or high-level military strategy that the IDF says would be beyond the knowledge of junior-level soldiers.
• The documentary includes references to situations that the IDF says could not have involved the quoted personnel, such as alleged interviews with Intelligence Directorate soldiers who by definition would not have been involved in the matters described.
• The military criticized the use of legal terminology by people who are not legal professionals and pointed to internal contradictions in the film's narration and claims.

The IDF reiterated that it conducts operations against terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas, and that targeting decisions are made by human personnel according to IDF guidelines. It said the military strikes military targets, takes steps to minimize civilian harm, and investigates alleged violations of law through enforcement mechanisms when specific suspicions arise.

# Reaction and context

The dispute centers on three concrete issues: the credibility of the film's sources, the nature and scope of the allegations (systematic versus incidental civilian harm), and procedural questions about how the IDF selects and approves strikes. The IDF contesting the film's sourcing and factual claims frames the conflict as one between testimony presented by filmmakers and the military's account of operational safeguards and investigative routines.

# What to watch next

Expect continued public and media scrutiny: screenings and distribution plans will determine how widely the film is seen outside festival circles, and further reporting or independent verification (if published) would be required to substantiate or refute the documentary's specific allegations. Debates over source verification and the appropriate forum to adjudicate alleged misconduct are likely to continue.