Naza: the documentary that exposes the system behind the killings of civilians in Gaza

Naza is the code name used by the Israeli secret services to refer to collateral damage – that is, the civilian casualties in Gaza resulting from the Israeli army’s bombardments aimed at destroying Hamas. It is also the title of the film by Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the directors from the collective that won the Oscar for No Other Land in 2025. Naza, in competition at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, produced by *The Guardian* and JW Films (Jim Wilson), in 80 minutes, and shot in a very classic documentary style, reveals the details of the systems underpinning the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, planned by Israel following the tragedy of 7 October 2023, in which Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis, including civilians and military personnel. Rachel Szor, director of photography, is behind the camera, whilst Yuval Abraham, a journalist, interviews the witnesses.

At the end of the first press screening, there was a round of applause, which soon died away, overshadowed by the viewers’ dismay at the realisation that this system of surveillance and control predated the Hamas massacre. ‘Thanks to footage filmed by the Palestinians themselves, we know how civilian homes are being bombed; we have seen the massacres of children, so nothing is new,’ Szor points out. “What took us aback was realising that these control systems were already in place long before 7 October and that, therefore, a system of blanket surveillance of Palestinians had been in operation for several years. It was also shocking to learn that the IDF, the Israeli army, in order to flush out Hamas members from their homes, employs Naza, which involves the killing of civilians, including children, by entering homes after having monitored the phones of their relatives. ‘A sort of dehumanisation is taking place.’ The system involves monitoring phones using an algorithm and AI.

There are 24 people interviewed on the rooftops of Gaza, where it is difficult to eavesdrop on conversations: Mossad agents or members of the army, of whom only a black silhouette is visible and whose image and voice have been altered so as not to reveal their identity. ‘In investigative journalism, you have the benefit of time – months or years – to build up contacts or to gain the trust of your sources,’ explains Abraham. ‘Even within the major Israeli media outlets there are some excellent journalists, but most have betrayed the profession. Some have no interest in asking questions; others – and this is even worse – fuel the desire for massacre through their work. In the film, those who speak are driven by different motivations: some feel guilty, others recount events with a sort of indifference and show no remorse. Others are even proud of the results achieved. ‘The aim of the film was to depict this system of death and genocide. The motivations of those speaking were a secondary consideration.’

Also present in the press room was the film’s executive producer, Jonathan Glazer, an Oscar-winning director for *i* and *The Zone of Interest* . Many of the revelations contained in the film had already been published almost immediately by *The Guardian* – for which Abraham is a contributor – in collaboration with its investigative partners *+972 Magazine* and *Local Call*. Rachel Szor explains: ‘Yuval has been working on this topic since 7 October. After many years and our work on No Other Land, we realised that cinema has the power to inform. Cinema also has the ability to convey the silence and how these attacks are planned.”

Distributed in Italy by iWonder, the release date in our cinemas is still uncertain. ‘Distribution in Italy is very important to us because, as we are well aware, Italy is one of the few countries in Europe that has not joined the sanctions against Israel. I’m not familiar with Italian politics; I don’t want to talk about the right or the left. What I’m saying to Italia is that this is a matter of basic human decency.”