The documentary NAZA, which provides a harrowing look into the surveillance and remote-strike operations within Gaza, is set for a free global digital release on website in early December. Readers can register online to receive a notification and link once the film becomes available for streaming. Sign up here to be notified of the exact streaming date and to be sent a link to the film when it is live. British Vogue calls NAZA a “brilliant and harrowing film”. With one protester demanding the “death penalty for traitors”, some of the messages included explicit calls for violence.
Since its premiere last month, NAZA has reached over 1.5 million viewers across 47 countries, establishing itself as one of the most significant documentary releases of 2026. While the film has achieved widespread international success and theatrical sell-outs, it has not yet been screened in Israel, despite interest from various distributors. NAZA was co-produced by James Wilson and executive-produced by Jonathan Glazer, the team behind the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest.
Directed by Oscar winners Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the documentary features testimonies from 24 former Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers. These individuals describe the use of AI-driven systems to track Hamas operatives, often leading to strikes on homes that resulted in civilian casualties. The title itself refers to an Israeli military acronym used to euphemistically describe civilians expected to perish during an attack. Including AI-based systems built to identify large numbers of potential Hamas operatives, who were then bombed in their homes at night, in the knowledge that the attacks would also kill their families, the interviewees detail the methods used by the Israeli military in Gaza. Which documents the destruction of Masafer Yatta, a village in the occupied West Bank targeted by Israeli forces, abraham and Szor were two of the four co-directors – with the Palestinians Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal – of No Other Land.
The production, which won the 2025 Oscar for Best Documentary and the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, builds upon investigative reporting by, +972 magazine, and Local Call conducted between 2023 and 2025. Interviews were conducted under strict anonymity, with participants’ voices and appearances digitally obscured to mitigate the security risks of speaking out. On the condition of anonymity, because of the risks involved in speaking publicly, interviews were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv. The Hebrew-language news outlet Local Call and newspaper between 2023 and 2025, it builds on revelations first published by the Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972. Where its premiere had a 25-minute ovation – a festival record, the film won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival in September.
The film has faced intense hostility from the Israeli establishment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly urged legal authorities to uncover the identities of the sources for prosecution, while also threatening to revoke the citizenship of the directors. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated the military would utilize all available measures against the production, which has also been subject to picketing and violent rhetoric from far-right groups targeting the filmmakers’ residences. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service to reveal the identities of sources interviewed and prosecute them for causing “harm to Israel’s dipl.
In response to claims from the Israeli military that the documentary contained substantial errors and relied on a skewed target-approval process, the production team noted that they consulted over 100 sources with deep knowledge of military systems. They emphasized that while AI identified potential targets, human officers ultimately signed off on the strikes and the associated risk to civilians.
The controversy is further complicated by the appearance of a rival production titled NAZA: The Real Story. This project, promoted by some Israeli embassies, has been criticized for mimicking the visual style of the original documentary. Critics, including creator Ariel Averbuch, describe the site as an attempt to divert global attention from the allegations presented in the genuine film.
Reflecting on the backlash, Rachel Szor remarked that the state has gone to great lengths to obscure these military systems. The documentary continues to receive critical acclaim, with the Financial Times praising the fusion of journalism and film, and New York Magazine labeling it one of the most important works of the current era. According to in a five-star review, the Financial Times, “journalism and film-making brilliantly entwine”.
