Hamas on Tuesday publicly seized on the Israeli documentary NAZA, calling on the International Criminal Court, United Nations bodies and human rights organizations to use testimony featured in the film as part of investigations against Israel over the war in Gaza.
The terror group presented the film as support for its allegations that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians and committed genocide and ethnic cleansing, claims Israel has repeatedly rejected.
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Hamas turns Israeli Gaza documentary ‘NAZA’ into ammunition against Israel
(Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
In a statement issued on its official channel, Hamas said the significance of NAZA stemmed from testimony by people who had served inside Israel’s military and intelligence establishment and had taken part in surveillance and targeting systems.
Hamas said the documentary includes testimony from 24 IDF soldiers, officers and intelligence personnel and claimed those accounts reveal how targets were selected and strikes approved in Gaza. The figure was cited by Hamas in its statement.
The group also highlighted the film’s use of the term “NAZA,” the Hebrew military acronym for collateral damage, and argued that testimony in the documentary should be formally documented as part of international investigations into alleged war crimes.
“Hamas calls on the International Criminal Court, UN bodies and relevant human rights organizations to document the testimonies and information contained in the film and make use of them in investigation and accountability proceedings,” the group said.
It also cited the reception the documentary received at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation reportedly lasting 25 minutes, portraying the response as evidence of the film’s international impact.
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor at the Venice Film Festival awards ceremony
(Photo: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
“What NAZA revealed must not remain merely material for viewing and sympathy,” Hamas said, calling for it to become “an additional impetus for investigation and accountability.”
The statement marks a new stage in the controversy surrounding the documentary, with Hamas now explicitly incorporating the Israeli-made film into its international political and legal campaign against Israel.
NAZA, created by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, has drawn attention for allegations based in part on anonymous testimony from soldiers and intelligence personnel involved in the Gaza campaign.
According to descriptions of the film and interviews with its creators, it alleges that Israeli targeting systems relied heavily on digital surveillance and artificial intelligence, that human oversight was insufficient in some cases and that strikes were approved despite expectations of significant civilian casualties.
The documentary also raises allegations concerning shootings in areas with unclear boundaries, attacks near aid distribution points, the destruction of civilian areas and Israeli policies toward food and humanitarian supplies.
Israel and the IDF have rejected allegations that they pursued a policy of deliberately killing civilians or committing genocide, arguing that Hamas embedded fighters, weapons, command centers and an extensive tunnel network inside densely populated civilian areas.
The IDF has said its targeting procedures require human authorization and assessments of military necessity, proportionality and expected civilian harm, and has maintained that it takes extensive precautions intended to reduce civilian casualties.
The film has already triggered a heated debate inside Israel over the conduct of the Gaza war, the use of artificial intelligence in targeting and the legal and moral standards applied by the IDF.
Hamas’ statement now adds another dimension to that debate: testimony and allegations originating inside Israel are being cited directly by the terror organization as material it wants international courts and institutions to use against the country.