Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for Israeli citizenship to be revoked from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the filmmakers behind the documentary “NAZA,” accusing them of “betrayal of the state.” His comments came a day after the film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, where its screening ended with a 25-minute standing ovation, a festival record.
The two Israeli filmmakers, who alongside Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary for “No Other Land,” based the film on testimony from 24 anonymous members of the Israeli military and intelligence services. The documentary examines, among other issues, the use of AI systems and the approval of strikes that may result in civilian casualties.
In one of the documentary’s most serious allegations, a source claims that the killing of 500 civilians had been authorised to eliminate one Hamas member.
The title comes from a Hebrew military acronym for “collateral damage” and, as presented in the film, refers to the estimated number of civilians expected to be killed in a strike. In one of the documentary’s most serious allegations, a source claims that the killing of 500 “NAZA” had been authorised to eliminate one Hamas member. The IDF categorically rejects the allegations and disputes the reliability of the anonymous testimony, noting that the identities and roles of the sources cannot be verified.
The minister’s call does not, however, mean that citizenship can be immediately revoked. In 2022, Israel’s Supreme Court upheld the legal framework allowing citizenship to be revoked from people convicted of acts constituting a “breach of loyalty” to the state, including terrorism, treason or serious espionage. In such cases, the process is initiated by the interior minister and requires court approval.
Elsewhere at the festival, May El-Touchy won the Golden Lion for “Woman Unknown,” while Jacqueline Lentzou won the Best Director award in the Orizzonti section for her new feature film “A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra.”
Sources: Guardian, Variety, Flix
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