Israel Threatens Gaza Documentary Directors With Citizenship Revocation and Treason Probe
Threats are escalating against Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following the premiere of their documentary NAZA at the Venice Film Festival, where Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for the co-directors to be stripped of their citizenship, according to reporting by the BBC and The Guardian.
Venice Film Festival Premiere and Core Allegations
The 80-minute documentary NAZA premiered at the Venice Film Festival, earning a 25-minute standing ovation and a special jury prize, according to the BBC and CBS News. Named for the Hebrew military acronym for collateral damage, the film features interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers who outline artificial intelligence-powered targeting systems used by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. According to official synopsis details cited by the BBC, the project details systems behind a calculated mass civilian killing campaign during the war triggered by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. One interviewee alleged that approval was given to kill 500 people for a single human target, a claim the IDF told the BBC was completely false.
Director Yuval Abraham told the audience in Venice that the mass killing is systemic and based on policy, rather than accidents, according to CBS News. Screen magazine described the project as an urgent, gut-punch, while The Hollywood Reporter noted it inspired profound outrage regarding the current Israeli regime, as reported by CBS News.
Government Backlash and Citizenship Threats
Israeli officials sharply condemned the documentary and its creators over the weekend, led by Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who posted on social media that he would act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of both filmmakers, according to CBS News. Zohar accused the directors of a betrayal of the state driven by self-loathing, according to the same reporting. On September 14, 2026, Zohar announced in a follow-up post that he had contacted the Director General of the Population Authority and the Director General of the Ministry of Interior to examine the denial of citizenship for breach of trust and cooperation with the enemy, as reported by CBS News and the BBC. Zohar also asked authorities to investigate how the materials were obtained and whether the process amounted to aiding the enemy during wartime, according to the BBC.
Other senior politicians joined the condemnation. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X that the directors are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the people of Israel, according to CBS News. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett called the film a horrific blood libel against Israeli soldiers, and former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman described the directors as haters of Israel, according to the BBC.
Military Response and Industry Support
The Israel Defense Forces initially rejected the allegations categorically, later issuing a statement via spokesperson Brig-Gen Effie Defrin stating that the film presents serious and false allegations based on promotional material, according to the BBC. The military criticized the reliance on anonymous sources whose identities cannot be verified, as reported by CBS News. In a statement reported by the BBC, Defrin invited the filmmakers to allow IDF representatives to view the full film so officials can address each allegation on its merits.
Despite the official backlash, more than 700 members of the film industry signed a petition supporting Abraham and Szor against a campaign of incitement and vilification, according to the BBC. The co-directors previously won an Oscar in 2025 for No Other Land, a documentary examining Jewish settler violence in the occupied West Bank, according to the BBC and CBS News. Neither Abraham nor Szor issued an immediate public response to the citizenship threats, according to the BBC.