Star Metro - Gaza documentary sparks political storm in Israel

Red targets are painted next to the two Israeli directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, whose faces are branded with the word "TRAITORS".

A month ahead of close-fought elections, the documentary, which uses anonymous military sources to speak about Israel's widespread killing of civilians in Gaza, has unleashed a political storm.

An ensuing wave of threats and intimidation has targeted the film's creators and their families.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has even said he intends to introduce legislation aimed at revoking the citizenship of people who "defame IDF soldiers."

"Their place is not among us," Netanyahu said in a video posted on X late on Wednesday.

At the same time his video appeared on social media, dozens of protesters were gathering outside the home of Szor's parents in central Israel, shouting "You're not welcome here!"

The gathering in Savyon was organised by a far-right influencer, Mordechai David, an ally of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

"This is only the beginning!" David vowed.

In the southern port city of Ashdod, the artist behind the mural of Abraham and Szor unleashed a torrent of insults at the filmmakers, who are currently abroad.

"I have zero sympathy for all those pro-Palestinians talking abroad," Dudi Shuval told AFP.

- Broad condemnation -

The fierce outrage at the film highlights surging nationalist sentiment following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians, in the country's deadliest ever attack.

Netanyahu's handling and response to the attack are set to play a central role in the election, scheduled for October 27.

After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week, "NAZA" received a record-breaking 25-minute ovation and later won the special jury prize.

The chilling documentary about Israel's AI-assisted killing of civilians in Gaza uses testimonies from 24 different Israeli military or intelligence whistleblowers who spoke on condition that their identities be protected.

"NAZA" draws its name from a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians that are expected to be killed in an airstrike.

The Israeli military has firmly denied the testimonies in the film and insisted it does everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

It has also criticised the film's use of anonymous sources, whose identity and involvement in military activity in Gaza it says cannot be verified.

Israel's political figures have almost unanimously condemned the documentary.

Opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, who has emerged as the main challenger to Netanyahu, on Monday denounced "moral blindness, a detachment from reality, and harm to the State of Israel in a difficult hour".

The head of the centre-left Democrats party, Yair Golan, issued a curt "I condemn" the following day.

Golan accused Netanyahu of using the episode to deflect attention over his reaction on October 7, an issue that has flared anew in recent days.

- Taboo discussion -

In Israel, criticising the military -- in which nearly all Israelis serve -- is taboo and carries a heavy cost.

"There's clearly an intention to not have discussion around the crimes that were committed and to prevent people from speaking about them," Abraham told AFP on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival last week.

In a rare dissenting voice, the Israeli-Palestinian movement Standing Together praised the film which it said "exposes another chapter in the war of annihilation in Gaza".

The Union of Journalists in Israel denounced threats against the filmmakers, saying in a statement that "without freedom of expression, there is no democracy".

On Wednesday, Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who accused the directors of "treason against the state", referred the matter to the domestic intelligence services to demand a probe into the film's anonymous sources.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,700 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Y.X. Gagnon--SMC