The Israeli Minister of Culture announced plans to revoke the citizenship of Israeli film directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sor after their documentary "NAZA," which reveals attacks and killings of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip using artificial intelligence (AI) systems, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. He accused both directors of "treason against the state."
Miki Zohar, the Israeli Minister of Culture, announced he would proceed with revoking the Israeli citizenship of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sor, the directors of the documentary "NAZA," following the film's receipt of the Special Jury Prize at the latest Venice International Film Festival.
Zohar posted on the platform X on Sunday, calling the film "disgusting" and describing its award as "shocking." He accused the two directors of willingly harming their own country merely to earn applause from global anti-Semitic groups. The Israeli Culture Minister further alleged that their actions constitute "treason against the state" and stated he would immediately initiate the process to revoke their citizenship.
"NAZA" is an 80-minute documentary produced by The Guardian that presents allegations regarding the use of AI systems by the Israeli military and intelligence units to target strikes in the Gaza Strip. The title refers to an acronym indicating the estimated number of civilians the Israeli intelligence anticipates will be killed in airstrikes in Gaza.
The two directors interviewed 24 former Israeli military and intelligence officials who provided anonymous information about the AI systems used for targeting strikes in Gaza. One source claimed that approvals were given to kill up to 500 civilians based on AI-generated figures in exchange for killing one Hamas member.
The documentary received a 25-minute standing ovation during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, setting a festival record, before winning the Special Jury Prize on Saturday.
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sor previously won an Oscar in 2025 for their documentary "No Other Land," which addressed the violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
After "NAZA" won the award, several Israeli ministers criticized the two directors. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right National Security Minister, accused them of bringing disgrace and shame upon all Israelis. Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman labeled them "Israel haters," while former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the film a "horrific slander against Israeli soldiers and citizens."
Nonetheless, citizenship revocation can be legally carried out under Israeli law, though it is rarely done. In 2022, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the state can revoke citizenship of individuals who do not show "loyalty" to the state, such as those committing espionage or treason. The law was expanded in 2023 to include those convicted of terrorism offenses.
The process requires the Minister of Interior to file the revocation request, the Minister of Justice to approve it, and final confirmation by a judge.
Abraham has previously faced pressure and threats from Israeli right-wing groups, including an incident where protesters invaded his family home after the world premiere of "No Other Land" in 2024.
Abraham said that he and Sor are risking working under a system that grants them privileges as Israeli Jews. He compared their situation to Palestinians, stating that if Palestinian journalists in Gaza tried to work similarly and contact high-ranking Israeli officials, they could be killed.
The Israeli military initially denied the allegations in the documentary "NAZA," stating it completely rejects the claims and expressing skepticism about anonymous testimonies since the identities of sources cannot be verified. Later, the military said the allegations require thorough responses based on evidence rather than outright dismissal without details.
Meanwhile, some left-wing Israeli politicians praised the film and its directors. Yosef Jabareen, a former parliament member and leader of the left-wing Hadash party, congratulated them and thanked them for presenting what he called "horrific crimes and brutal realities in Gaza" to millions of viewers.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz also urged Israelis to confront what it described as the truth about Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, viewing the film’s screening at the Venice festival as an effort to make Israelis aware of the war’s impacts.
The Gaza war began after Hamas launched attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, resulting in 1,221 deaths, according to AFP data citing Israeli official figures, and 251 hostages taken to Gaza.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that since the war started, over 7,300 people have died from Israeli attacks, most of whom are civilians.
SourceGuardian/Al Jazeera