At the Venice International Film Festival, filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor premiered Naza, a documentary exposing secret Israeli military operations in Gaza. The film relies on testimony from 24 military and intelligence insiders to detail the use of automated targeting and surveillance.
The 24 insiders exposing AI-driven targeting
The documentary Naza, produced by The Guardian and JW Films,presents a harrowing look at the intersection of technology and warfare. Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor utilized testimony from 24 Israeli military and intelligence insiders to describe how AI-based systems are used to identify suspected low-ranking Hamas members. As reported by The Guardian, these automated systems frequently flag individuals for bombardment in their homes at night. The film highlights a chilling aspect of this process: the military often proceeds with these strikes despite having prior knowledge that the explosions will kill the families of the intended targets.
Surveillance through phone hacking and family eavesdropping
Israeli intelligence officers in Gaza employ invasive digital surveillance to track Palestinians, according to the documentary's testimony. The film details how military personnel engage in hacking the mobile phones of individuals marked for attack to determine their precise locations. This surveillance is not merely tactical; it is deeply personal. The insiders describe how intelligence officers covertly listen to private conversations between targets and their wives or children, sometimes maintaining this eavesdropping right up until the moment the attack on the home is launched.
The Netanyahu-linked unit tasked to 'thwart peace'
A secret intelligence unit reportedly reports directly to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the film's finndings. The documentary features accounts from insiders who describe the unit's overarching mission as an effort to "thwart peace." Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor emphasize that their investigation focuses on the institutional "orders themselves" and the "accepted practices" of the military, rather than the misconduct of individual soldiers. This distinction suggests that the actions described are not rogue operations but are part of a structured, state-sanctioned policy.
The 200,000 death estimate and the 'NAZA' logic
The title of the film, Naza, is derived from a Hebrew military acronym for "collateral damage," a term used by Israeli intelligence to categorize the number of civilians expected to die during an operation. This terminology underscores the systematic nature of the violence described by the 24 insiders. The documentary places these tactics within the broader context of the Gaza conflict,where official reports state over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed. However, the film notes that analysts believe this is an underestimate, with the actual death toll potentially reaching approximately 200,000 people. the film also documents the destruction of entire neighborhoods, noting instances where as many as 25 percent of residents were still inside their homes when strikes occurred.
What is the full scope of the Netanyahu-linked unit?
Several critical questions remain regarding the military operations detailed in the Naza documentary. While the film provides a window into these operations, it does not provide a direct response from the Israeli military regarding the specific allegations of phone hacking and family eavesdropping.. Additionally,while the report identifies a unit reporting to Benjamin Netanyahu, it does not specify the exact size or the full scope of this unit's influence over broader military strategy. Finally, the source does not clarify how the legal distinction between "collateral damage" and intentional targeting will be addressed by international bodies in light of these testimonies.
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