Anonymous Israeli Soldiers Describe Civilian Killings in Controversial Documentary ‘NAZA’

A new documentary titled NAZA features intimate, one-on-one interviews with Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel who agree to speak on the record only under conditions of total anonymity. Directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the film is set against the nighttime backdrop of Tel Aviv rooftops, where 24 subjects appear in darkness with digitally altered voices and appearances.

The soldiers describe in precise detail their roles in launching airstrikes that have resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. That initial assault killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. The term NAZA is an acronym for the Hebrew phrase nezek agavi, meaning “collateral damage.” It refers to the number of civilian deaths the Israeli military deems acceptable when eliminating a target. According to the film, while some operations approved up to 20 civilian casualties, one high-value target received authorization for 500 NAZA—a figure comparable to the population of a small Israeli town.

The documentary has ignited fierce controversy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to revoke the citizenship of Abraham and Szor, and the filmmakers have been labeled traitors by some in Israel. Supporters of Israel argue that the anonymization of sources undermines the credibility of the testimony, while supporters of Palestine have criticized the film for protecting individuals accused of war crimes. Abraham, a journalist who previously published similar investigative pieces in outlets such as +972 Magazine and The Guardian, credits Palestinian journalists for bringing many of these revelations to light.

The film focuses less on the motivations of the soldiers—ranging from patriotic fervor to guilt and regret—and more on the logistical mechanics of the war. It details how the military hacks into Palestinian phones to achieve near-total surveillance, bombs homes at night when families are present, and employs AI systems for intelligence gathering, much of which has proven faulty. One chilling segment describes a tracking tool nicknamed “Where’s Daddy?” which uses children’s voices to confirm if their fathers are home before striking. One soldier recounts using this method on a 12-year-old girl, stating, “You hack her phone and then you kill her.”