JERUSALEM / VENICE — Sept. 14–15, 2026. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has branded the Venice prize-winning film NAZA a “blood libel” and ordered legal and security reviews — rejecting claims that Israel deliberately built a system to kill civilians in Gaza.
The 80-minute British documentary, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced with The Guardian, won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. It leans on 24 anonymized Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. Faces are hidden. Voices are altered. Viewers cannot check who they are, what they did, or whether they ever sat in the rooms where targeting decisions were made.
The core fact: a festival film that presents an indictment as if it were a verdict — while the IDF says the allegations were never put to the army in a form that allows a professional reply.
What Zamir wrote to IDF troops
In a letter to soldiers and commanders dated Tishrei 5787 / September 2026, Zamir said he had not watched the film, did not know who was interviewed, and did not know who stands behind it. He wrote that the claims and events were not presented to the IDF, making a serious, professional response difficult.
He then ordered a multidisciplinary team to confront what the military calls false allegations, told the Military Advocate General to examine legal options, and opened a probe into possible unauthorized disclosure of classified material used in the production. According to Israeli reporting, Zamir called the film’s narrative blood libels, deliberate distortions, and grave false accusations — an attack on the State of Israel, not only on the IDF.
Who made NAZA — and what they already assume
Abraham writes for +972 Magazine, which frames Israel as “occupation” and “apartheid.” With Szor he previously co-directed No Other Land (Oscar 2025), built around a Palestinian narrative against Israel. In their own Venice synopsis, the directors say they set out to examine mechanisms behind what they already call the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which their country is responsible.
The thesis is not discovered on screen. It is declared up front by the filmmakers.
Another turn of Pallywood
This is another turn of Pallywood: a political accusation packaged as cinema, where anonymity replaces verification and a festival ovation replaces cross-examination. Filmmaker Pierre Rehov has documented how staged and manipulated imagery is used against Israel. His film remains a reference:
Pierre Rehov — Pallywood (YouTube)
What still has not been proven
Anonymous sourcing can be legitimate journalism. A charge of intentional, systematic murder of civilians demands far more. Who are the 24 witnesses? What were their exact jobs? What did each person see firsthand? Which independent documents corroborate them? Where are the orders that prove a policy to kill civilians on purpose? How much contrary evidence does the film allow?
Hamas embeds among civilians and uses them as shields. The IDF says it operates under international law and its own ethical code while fighting that enemy. NAZA asks viewers to treat protected testimony and a pre-set thesis as proof. It does not.
Belief is not evidence. The filmmaker must prove the case. Until a verifiable, adversarial demonstration exists, NAZA is an indictment — not a verdict.
FAQ
What is NAZA?
An 80-minute UK documentary by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The title echoes the Hebrew acronym for collateral damage (nezek agavi). It premiered in Venice competition in 2026 and won a Special Jury Prize.
What did Eyal Zamir do?
He sent a letter to IDF personnel, rejected the film’s claims as blood libels, and ordered legal review plus an investigation into possible classified leaks.
Why call it Pallywood?
Because the film packages a militant narrative as proof without open identities or adversarial corroboration. See Pierre Rehov’s documentation: youtu.be/n7MGhw-SJ5Q.
Sources
- Venice Biennale — official NAZA page
- Ynet News — Zamir: blood libel, legal review, leak probe
- Jerusalem Post — Venice prize and Israeli rejection
- Variety — directors on anonymous IDF interviews
- Pierre Rehov — Pallywood (YouTube)
Arik Idan
Leave a Reply