NAZA: Netanyahu orders identification and prosecution of people interviewed in film | NAZA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the country’s attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service to reveal the identities of the soldiers and officers interviewed in the NAZA investigative documentary and prosecute them for harming “Israel’s diplomatic and security interests.”

The award-winning documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by the Guardian, details Israel’s massacre of civilians in Gaza. The film is in cinemas, including in the UK and US, and will be screened in more than 50 countries.

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Shin Bet Chief David Zini, the Israeli prime minister demanded that they “act urgently to uncover the identities of all those involved in or appearing in the smear film.”

Netanyahu also called for “the opening of a criminal investigation and prosecution for serious information security violations, criminal defamation and harm to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests.”

NAZA premiered last month at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize after receiving the longest standing ovation in the event’s history. It takes its name from an acronym used euphemistically by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike.

The Israeli government violently attacked Abraham and Szor, threatening to strip them of their citizenship and accusing them of treason. Government supporters vowed to hunt down the filmmakers upon their return to Israel and demonstrated outside Szor’s parents’ home in Savyon, chanting: “Death sentence to traitors.”

Zamir denounced the film as an “attack on the State of Israel,” accusing it of spreading “lies and blood libel.” He previously ordered military and judicial officials to identify the soldiers presented and consider possible legal action against them. However, Military Attorney General Itai Ofir said criminal prosecution would require evidence of security violations or disclosure of classified documents, although disciplinary action remained possible.

The protection of journalistic sources is a cornerstone of press freedom under international human rights standards and disclosure orders are only permitted under strict conditions.

Ricardo Gutiérrez, secretary general of the European Federation of Journalists, which represents more than 320,000 journalists, said: “These threats constitute a blatant act of intimidation against journalists who have simply been doing their job, in strict compliance with ethical standards and in the public interest. I am not surprised by this outburst, which confirms that this regime is ready to do anything to cover up its crimes against humanity and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

A Guardian spokesperson said: “Having first threatened to strip the NAZA filmmakers of their Israeli citizenship, the Israeli government is now calling for an investigation into their journalistic sources. These measures are attempts to distract from the urgent questions the film raises about the massacres of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Journalists should be free to conduct public interest investigations without threats or harassment.”

NAZA draws on revelations first published by the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language newspaper Local Call and the Guardian between 2023 and 2025. Earlier this month, a Guardian spokesperson said that “the process of assessing the credibility of the testimonies was rigorous.

Over the past three years, the team behind the film “interviewed more than 100 sources familiar with IDF systems used in the Gaza war, including high-ranking commanders directly involved in authorizing the strikes,” the Guardian spokesperson added.

In recent days, the Israeli government has promoted an online film project that mimics the style of NAZA, aiming to challenge the findings of the actual film. Ariel Averbuch, an Israeli lawyer and army reservist who directed NAZA: The Real Story, described it as an “offensive move” intended to distract the world from allegations of the killing of civilians by the Israeli army.

Film industry heavyweights from around the world, including heads of the Locarno film festival, expressed solidarity with Abraham and Szor, saying they “strongly support the right of filmmakers to tackle difficult and urgent topics without fear of reprisal.”