A new Israeli-made documentary addressing civilian casualties in Gaza is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. Titled "NAZA," the film is directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and is expected to provide new insights into Israel’s military operations in Gaza, drawing on witness testimonies from Israeli forces.
Produced by British filmmakers Jim Wilson and Jonathan Glazer, known for their Oscar-winning work on the Auschwitz-set film "The Zone of Interest," as well as Britain's Guardian newspaper, "NAZA" explores the mechanisms behind Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The film’s title refers to an Israeli military acronym reportedly used by intelligence officials to denote the expected number of Palestinian civilian deaths in airstrikes.
Since October 2023, Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in significant civilian casualties. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, approximately 73,500 Palestinians have died and 174,500 have been injured during the conflict. The documentary’s creators said the film was shot at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv and aims to detail the calculated nature of these operations.
Abraham and Szor gained recognition alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal with "No Other Land," an Oscar-winning documentary from 2025 that focused on Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank. "NAZA" was added late to the Venice competition, which this year has featured several films related to the Gaza conflict.
Other entries at the festival include "Citizen Osama," which chronicles the challenges faced by a Gaza photojournalist amid shortages of water and food. This film has been selected to represent Palestine in the race for Best Foreign Film at the 2027 Academy Awards. Last year, "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a docu-drama about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza, received second prize at Venice.
These films come amid growing international scrutiny and criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, particularly within Western cultural and entertainment circles. Prominent US actress Susan Sarandon recently commented that public attitudes toward the conflict and the United States' military and financial support for Israel have shifted significantly.
The emergence of these documentaries at major film festivals reflects a broader shift in public discourse surrounding the war in Gaza and Israel’s policies in the region.