A group of Israeli filmmakers has released a documentary called NAZA: The Real Story, using the same central title as the award-winning Gaza war documentary it was made to rebut.
The counter-documentary was released in September with English subtitles, as NAZA, by the Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, continues its international cinema rollout after winning the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
The original features 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel describing how civilian deaths were factored into air strikes in Gaza.
Critics on social media have questioned whether the near-identical title could divert audiences searching online for the original, although there is no public evidence that search-engine manipulation was the counter-film's purpose.
A Title Taken from 'Nezek Agavi'
The original film takes its name from military terminology. NAZA is derived from the Hebrew phrase nezek agavi, which Abraham told NPR can loosely be translated as collateral damage, and which refers to the number of civilians intelligence personnel expect could be killed in an air strike.
We’re sticking to this one. Stop using Hamas as an excuse to put the whole of Gaza into the ground. You have intelligence agencies like Mossad and expect us to believe Hamas use human shields every time you have them in your crosshair. pic.twitter.com/JWgcWwPqc3
— ۟ (@vikingnelsson) October 4, 2026
The 80-minute documentary was shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv. Its interviewees describe systems Israel used to identify targets, including tools known as Lavender and Habsora, and allege that strikes were approved even when high civilian casualties were anticipated, the Guardian reported.
The film builds on investigations published by +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and the Guardian between 2023 and 2025.
A new Israeli documentary is setting the record straight.
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) October 3, 2026
NAZA: The Real Story offers a firsthand account from senior IDF commanders and intelligence officers who were directly involved in the fight against Hamas in Gaza.
Using combat footage, declassified materials,… pic.twitter.com/BZQk2rj6mO
It was produced by the Guardian and JW Films, with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer, and its directors were two of the four co-directors of No Other Land, the 2024 documentary that won the Oscar for best documentary in 2025.
Venice Acclaim and 'Traitors' on an Ashdod Wall
The reception has split sharply. NAZA premiered in competition at Venice on 10 September and won the Special Jury Prize two days later, but it caused a national uproar in Israel, where almost no one had seen it, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar accused the directors of treason against the state and called for their citizenship to be revoked, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for legislation concerning citizenship and alleged defamation of Israeli soldiers.
The directors, both Israeli citizens, have faced threats and intimidation, including demonstrations outside family homes, the Guardian reported. Graffiti depicting them alongside the Hebrew word for 'traitors' appeared on a wall in Ashdod on 15 September; it was later altered by another artist to read 'heroes'. The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the threats.
The IDF has rejected the film's central allegations. In a detailed response published on 1 October, after its representatives had viewed the film, it described the documentary's account as distorted, misleading and disingenuous, and said it misrepresented the military's target-planning and strike-approval processes.
Declassified Recordings and Tel Aviv Rooftops
The counter-film takes the opposite line. Directed by Lieutenant Colonel Roi Danino, Hagai Gutman and Ariel Averbuch, NAZA: The Real Story was made to directly counter and discredit the original, the Jerusalem Post reported, with its English-subtitled release described as an effort to intercept the global narrative.
It draws on declassified IDF recordings, combat footage, captured intelligence and interviews with serving intelligence officers and commanders to present the IDF's account of operating conditions in Gaza, covering Hamas tactics, civilian areas, hostages and humanitarian aid. Parts of it were filmed at night on Tel Aviv rooftops, the same setting the original used.
To stop people from finding the upcoming documentary exposing Israel’s war crimes, the Israeli government created their own documentary with the same name to confuse people. https://t.co/gLLaWryTaq
— Wally Rashid (@wallyrashid) October 4, 2026
Its choice of name has drawn scrutiny. Critics on social media, including a widely shared post on X, have questioned whether giving the counter-documentary the same title could divert viewers searching for the original. No public explanation from its makers for the choice of title appeared in the coverage reviewed for this article.
Two Israeli films now share one title and offer opposing accounts of the same war.
