Key Highlights
- Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor release NAZA, a documentary based on rooftop interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel detailing automated targeting systems used in Gaza.
- The film outlines algorithmic platforms such as “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?”, as well as the military acronym “NAZA” (nezek agavi), which refers to collateral damage figures.
- Following the film’s premiere and Special Jury Prize win at the Venice International Film Festival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to strip the directors of their citizenship.
Investigation Reveals Tel Aviv Rooftop Testimonies on Military Automation
Documentary filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—who previously co-directed the Oscar-winning 2024 film No Other Land alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal—have released their latest project, NAZA. The documentary is constructed almost entirely from rooftop interviews conducted at night in Tel Aviv with 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel. Set against the illuminated city skyline, the subjects disclose how the Israeli military implements artificial intelligence and advanced surveillance apparatuses to locate, track, and strike targets in Palestine.
The film expands upon prior investigative reporting published by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian, the latter of which also serves as a producer on the documentary alongside The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer and producer James Wilson. The investigative narrative exposes the operational reliance on systems such as “Lavender,” an artificial intelligence platform designed to compile lists of potential targets associated with Hamas. According to the reporting, the platform targeted up to 37,000 individuals using mobile patterns, such as frequent device switches or physical proximity to known militants. Testimonies highlight the software’s severe imprecision; in one instance, an operative describes targeting a local bakery owner whose only connection was serving militants at his place of business.
The Mechanics of “Where’s Daddy?” and Nezek Agavi
Alongside the “Lavender” kill lists, NAZA examines an auxiliary monitoring platform titled “Where’s Daddy?”. This system tracks text messages from the family members of identified militants to detect when a target returns to their residence. Once inbound arrival is confirmed via digital correspondence, military strikes are coordinated against the private residences, eliminating the target alongside family members and other occupants residing in the structure.
The title of the film originates directly from the bureaucratic terminology used within the military apparatus. “NAZA” functions as an acronym for the Hebrew phrase nezek agavi, which translates to “collateral damage.” Rather than referencing human casualties by conventional numerical descriptors, military staff calculate expected losses in terms of structural metrics; a projected strike anticipated to kill 15 bystanders is recorded internally as “15 NAZA.” Across the documentary, the subjects diagram these systems on camera, underscoring a mechanical, emotionally disconnected approach to high-casualty airstrikes.
Psychological Distance and Clinical Complicity
Directors Abraham and Szor structure the film by intentionally withholding footage of the physical destruction in Gaza until the project’s closing sequences. By focusing visual attention on the Tel Aviv rooftops, the piece concentrates entirely on the logic, justifications, and administrative language used by the intelligence operatives. Some subjects defend algorithmic warfare on the grounds that automating the selection process removes emotional human interference. Other participants downplay personal culpability; one architect of the “Lavender” software denies personal responsibility for casualties, while another subject asserts they were executing established protocols as a “small cog” within a broader military structure.
Why This Matters
NAZA arrives amid intense international scrutiny regarding the integration of machine learning and autonomous software into modern warfare. The project underscores the rapid acceleration from human-led reconnaissance to automated targeting pipelines capable of processing thousands of individuals simultaneously. The political ramifications have extended directly to the creators: following the documentary’s debut at the Venice International Film Festival—where the production won the Special Jury Prize—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to revoke the citizenship of both Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Reviewed following its presentation at the New York Film Festival, the film opened in select New York theaters and is scheduled to expand nationwide across the United States on Oct. 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the title “NAZA” mean?
The title is derived from an internal Israeli military acronym for the Hebrew phrase nezek agavi, which translates to “collateral damage.” In operational terms, the phrase is used by military planners to quantify estimated bystander deaths associated with a strike.
What surveillance systems are documented in the film?
The film details multiple algorithmic tools, prominently featuring “Lavender”—an automated targeting database that compiled tens of thousands of potential targets through phone data and tracking—and “Where’s Daddy?”, a surveillance program that monitors family communication to trigger airstrikes when a individual enters their domestic residence.
Who directed and produced NAZA?
The film is directed by Israeli documentarians Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously worked on No Other Land. The production involves The Guardian, alongside producers James Wilson and director Jonathan Glazer.
