Venice Film Festival Shines Light on Gaza: Israeli Whistleblowers Expose AI-Driven Killings
In a bold and revealing new documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival, two Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers have collected damning testimony from Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers about the use of artificial intelligence in military operations in Gaza. The film, titled NAZA, provides an unprecedented look into the mechanisms of modern warfare and raises critical questions about the ethics of technology in conflict zones.
What is the 'NAZA' documentary about?
Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor spent nearly three years investigating the Israeli military's operations in Gaza. They interviewed 24 military and intelligence figures who agreed to testify on camera, with their identities protected. The film's title, NAZA, comes from a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to refer to the expected number of civilian casualties in an airstrike.
According to the directors, the documentary details how mass surveillance of Gaza's telecommunications network was combined with AI technology to identify targets for killing. Abraham told AFP,
“The mass surveillance is directly related to the mass killing.”
Why is this film significant for global audiences?
The documentary is the only one in competition at this year's Venice Film Festival, which concludes on Saturday. It arrives amid growing international scrutiny of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in approximately 73,500 Palestinian deaths and 174,500 wounded since October 2023, according to reports.
Abraham and Szor, who previously won an Oscar for their film No Other Land about settler violence in the West Bank, hope the new documentary will pressure Western nations to reconsider their support for Israel. Abraham stated,
“Those of us inside Israel and Palestine trying to fight for change need it. You are weakening the people inside who are supporting human rights and a political solution by refusing to act.”
How has the international community responded?
The film is part of a broader shift in public opinion in Western countries against the war. US actress Susan Sarandon, a vocal critic of the bombardment, claimed this week that the narrative around Gaza and US support for Israel had “completely changed.”
Foreign journalists have been largely prevented from reporting from Gaza independently, and the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the conflict began, describing it as
“the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented.”
What are the broader implications of this documentary?
Abraham concluded that Israel's government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is
“violating the Genocide Convention of 1948”and is committed to expelling Gaza's population. The film also references the Holocaust, with Abraham explaining,
“I'm not saying it's the same. I don't think it is. I think what we should be doing is recognizing similar patterns of dehumanization.”
As the Venice Film Festival wraps up, NAZA stands as a powerful testament to the role of journalism and cinema in documenting historical events and challenging narratives. The documentary is produced by Britain's Jim Wilson with help from Jonathan Glazer, the team behind the Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest, and the Guardian newspaper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the title 'NAZA' mean in the context of the film?
NAZA is a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike, highlighting the calculated nature of military operations in Gaza.
Who are the filmmakers behind this documentary?
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor are Israeli investigative journalists and Oscar-winning filmmakers known for their previous work No Other Land, which documented settler violence in the West Bank.
Why is this documentary important for understanding the Gaza conflict?
The film provides first-hand testimony from Israeli military personnel about the use of AI and mass surveillance in targeting operations, offering a rare insider perspective on the mechanisms of the conflict.