In the shadow of a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, a documentary called NAZA has surfaced testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli soldiers alleging that artificial intelligence guided lethal targeting decisions in Gaza — and the Israeli government's response has been not to answer the allegations openly, but to pursue those who spoke. Prime Minister Netanyahu's demand that whistleblowers be identified, prosecuted, and stripped of citizenship places the question of accountability in sharp relief: when power moves to silence witnesses rather than address their claims, the silence itse
Netanyahu demands investigation into anonymous sources in Gaza AI-targeting documentary
Documentary alleges Israeli military killed numerous Palestinian civilians in Gaza using AI-powered targeting systems; Gaza Ministry of Health reports at least 74,000 Palestinians killed including 21,000 children since October 7, 2023.
24 unnamed Israeli military whistleblowers accuse the army of using AI systems to kill civilians
Mark
Why does Netanyahu want to prosecute people he can't even name? Doesn't that seem backwards?
Mimi
He's trying to stop the story from spreading. If he can identify the whistleblowers, he can charge them with security violations and make an example. It's a deterrent.
Luke
But we should be clear: the film uses anonymous sources. Netanyahu is demanding an investigation to find out who they are. That's not the same as already knowing.
Mark
So the military denies using AI to target civilians. What's the actual evidence the documentary presents?
Mimi
The film draws on testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli military personnel who say the AI systems were used. The military says that's false—that humans make all targeting decisions.
Luke
Right. And we have the military's denial on record. We don't have the full documentary itself in this reporting, so we can't independently verify what evidence it actually contains or how strong it is.
Mark
The film won a major prize at Venice. Doesn't that suggest it's credible?
Mimi
It won a special jury prize and got a 25-minute standing ovation. That's significant recognition. But a film festival award reflects artistic and journalistic merit as assessed by that particular jury—not a legal determination of fact.
Luke
Exactly. Awards and acclaim don't settle factual disputes about military operations. They're separate things.
Mark
What about the 43 rights groups defending the filmmakers? Doesn't that count for something?
Mimi
It shows there's substantial support within Israeli civil society for protecting the filmmakers and the right to make this kind of documentary. That's real and worth noting.
Luke
It does show internal disagreement in Israel about how to handle the film. But defending filmmakers' rights to make a documentary is different from confirming the documentary's specific allegations about AI targeting.
Der Puls
- An award-winning documentary alleges Israel deployed AI systems to select targets in Gaza, drawing on testimony from 24 soldiers who risked everything to speak anonymously.
- Netanyahu has responded not with rebuttal but with prosecution — demanding that intelligence chiefs, the military, and the attorney general unmask and punish the whistleblowers for criminal libel and classified leaks.
- The directors themselves face threats of citizenship revocation, publicly accused of treason by the prime minister and culture minister in a country where 43 human rights groups have rallied to their defense.
- The military denies the allegations categorically, insisting humans alone authorize strikes, while simultaneously launching its own counter-documentary to reclaim the narrative.
- Behind the political battle stands a staggering human toll: at least 74,000 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, including 21,000 children, making the question of how those deaths were decided a matter of profound moral urgency.
In the shadow of a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, a documentary called NAZA has surfaced testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli soldiers alleging that artificial intelligence guided lethal targeting decisions in Gaza — and the Israeli government's response has been not to answer the allegations openly, but to pursue those who spoke. Prime Minister Netanyahu's demand that whistleblowers be identified, prosecuted, and stripped of citizenship places the question of accountability in sharp relief: when power moves to silence witnesses rather than address their claims, the silence itself becomes part of the record. The film's Venice prize and its 25-minute standing ovation suggest that the world is listening, even as the state works to ensure no one speaks again.
On a Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to demand a sweeping investigation into the sources behind NAZA, a documentary that accuses Israel's military of using artificial intelligence to target Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The film — its title drawn from Israeli military jargon for anticipated civilian casualties in airstrikes — is built on testimony from 24 unnamed soldiers. Netanyahu called on the country's chief of staff, the head of Shin Bet, and the attorney general to identify these individuals, prosecute them for leaking classified information, and pursue criminal libel charges against them.
The documentary had already made its mark on the world stage. At the Venice International Film Festival, it received a special jury prize and a standing ovation lasting 25 minutes. But in Israel, it ignited a political firestorm. Netanyahu and Culture Minister Miki Zohar threatened to revoke the citizenship of the film's directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, accusing them of treason. The Israeli military issued a categorical denial of the allegations, calling some claims absurd and insisting that all targeting decisions are made exclusively by human personnel following established guidelines. Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an investigation into suspected leaks connected to the film.
The government's counter-offensive extended beyond legal threats. Officials produced a competing film — NAZA: The Real Story — featuring soldiers who dispute the original documentary's claims, and the head of Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate awarded its creators certificates of recognition. Yet this coordinated response has not silenced dissent at home: 43 Israeli human rights organizations publicly condemned the threats against the filmmakers and defended their right to work.
The dispute unfolds against the weight of nearly three years of war. Since Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,139 Israelis and took around 240 hostage, Gaza's Ministry of Health reports that at least 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, among them at least 21,000 children. The question of whether artificial intelligence shaped those deaths — and whether those who raised the question will be punished for doing so — now sits at the heart of a confrontation between state power and the act of bearing witness.
On Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to demand a sweeping investigation into the people behind an award-winning documentary that accuses Israel's military of using artificial intelligence systems to kill Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The film, titled NAZA—a term borrowed from Israeli military jargon for anticipated civilian casualties in airstrikes—draws its allegations from testimony given by 24 unnamed Israeli military whistleblowers. Netanyahu called for the country's chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet security service, and the attorney general to identify these sources, prosecute them for breaches of classified information, pursue criminal libel charges, and hold them accountable for what he characterized as damage to Israel's diplomatic standing.
The documentary arrived at the Venice International Film Festival as a significant work of investigative journalism. The festival awarded it a special jury prize, and the screening drew a standing ovation that lasted 25 minutes—a moment that underscored the film's resonance with audiences. Yet in Israel itself, the work has become a flashpoint in an intensifying political conflict. Netanyahu and Culture Minister Miki Zohar have threatened to revoke the citizenship of the film's directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and both have been publicly accused of treason for their role in bringing the allegations to light.
The Israeli military's response has been categorical denial. In a statement released last month, the army rejected the whistleblowers' claims outright, describing some assertions as absurd and internally contradictory. The military maintained that all decisions about which targets to strike are made exclusively by human personnel, in accordance with established operational guidelines. Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an investigation into suspected leaks of classified information that may have been used in the film's production and called for legal action against those involved to be considered.
The political response has been swift and multifaceted. The government moved to counter the documentary's narrative by producing and promoting a competing film, also titled NAZA: The Real Story, which features testimony from soldiers who dispute the original allegations. Tzipi Hotovely, head of Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate, awarded the creators of this counter-film certificates of recognition for what she framed as a response to false accusations. Yet this official mobilization has not gone unchallenged within Israeli civil society. Forty-three Israeli human rights organizations have publicly defended the filmmakers and condemned the threats being directed at them, according to reporting from Israel's Channel 12 news.
The documentary's allegations emerge against the backdrop of a war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas's armed wing and other Palestinian groups attacked southern Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking approximately 240 captive. In the nearly three years since, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, Israel has killed at least 74,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,000 children. The question of how those deaths occurred—and whether artificial intelligence systems played a role in targeting decisions—sits at the center of this escalating dispute over the film. Netanyahu's demand for prosecution of anonymous sources represents an attempt to discredit the documentary by identifying and punishing those who provided its testimony, even as the military continues to insist that its targeting procedures remain under human control.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The film presents a false, misleading, and biased narrative that defames the State of Israel and the Israeli military internationally, severely damaging Israel's standing.— Benjamin Netanyahu
The selection and approval of strikes are made by human personnel only, in line with the military's guidelines.— Israeli military statement
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