Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will push legislation to revoke the citizenship of those who damage the reputation of Israeli soldiers amid backlash against the documentary director of "NAZA," which won an award at the Venice Film Festival. The film exposes that the Israeli military predetermined the expected civilian casualties during Gaza Strip attacks, while the directors and their families face threats from right-wing groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to promote new legislation enabling the government to revoke the citizenship of individuals who damage the reputation of Israeli soldiers. This move escalates intimidation against the documentary "NAZA" directors, which presents allegations regarding civilian killings in Gaza by the Israeli military.
The documentary was directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sror. It alleges that the deaths of numerous civilians are routinely factored into the Israeli military’s target selection process in Gaza. However, Netanyahu and the Israeli military deny these allegations.
This 80-minute film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival on 12 September and received a 25-minute standing ovation, a festival record. The film’s title, "NAZA," is an Israeli military acronym referring to the expected number of casualties resulting from airstrikes, particularly civilians classified as collateral damage.
The documentary’s content is based on anonymous interviews with intelligence officers and soldiers, along with investigative reports published by Israeli and Palestinian media such as +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian between 2023 and 2025.
Netanyahu stated in a video posted on social media that the government will push two laws to address what he called the "massive damage" to Israeli soldiers. The first law targets revoking citizenship of those who harm the military’s reputation, while the second increases financial penalties in defamation cases by twentyfold.
According to Israeli media, the first bill, to be proposed through the Ministry of Justice, may increase defamation damage claims to one million shekels without requiring proof of harm. The second, through the Ministry of Interior, would allow revocation of citizenship for those damaging the reputation of Israeli soldiers and the state abroad.
Netanyahu cited three incidents as reasons for the legislation: the documentary "NAZA," which he accused of portraying Israeli officials and soldiers as war criminals; remarks by former left-wing general turned politician Yair Golan in 2025 stating, "A sane country does not kill children as a hobby"; and a 2024 leaked video showing soldiers mistreating detained Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s announcement follows backlash against the two directors from the government and right-wing groups in Israel. Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for revoking the directors’ citizenship, accusing them of betraying the state, and thanked Netanyahu for preparing to amend the law, saying it was time to end what he called "this disgrace."
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the directors a "disgrace," while Netanyahu condemned the film as "unacceptable," accusing it of portraying Israeli soldiers as war criminals.
On the evening of Wednesday, 16 September, several dozen right-wing activists gathered outside the home of Rachel Sror’s parents, one of the documentary’s directors. Activists and campaigners linked to Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party also participated. Police and border officers were deployed to secure the area.
One protester called for the "death penalty for traitors" and demanded the demolition of the director’s family home. Meanwhile, messages circulated among activists urging supporters to rally at the directors’ homes, some explicitly calling for violence.
Earlier, Yehuda Shlezinger, a right-wing reporter from Channel 14, called for tracking or chasing the two directors everywhere, preventing their return to Israel, and demanded that Jews in Israel and abroad show that the 25-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival—which he claimed was an anti-Jewish applause—would "come at a heavy price."
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 13, Abraham expressed fear that he might not be able to return home. "Of course it’s difficult. Israel is my home, the only place I want to live, and it is very important to me. So, of course, I fear I might not be able to go back," he said.
Meanwhile, groups of filmmakers and human rights organizations issued statements supporting the two directors. Forty-three Israeli human rights organizations called on authorities to end incitement and threats and to refrain from prosecuting the directors or their sources.
Additionally, over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers signed a petition supporting freedom of expression and creativity, expressing solidarity with Abraham and Sror. They warned that the line between incitement and physical violence or death threats is rapidly narrowing. The petition urged that the film "NAZA" be screened in Israel to allow viewers to watch and judge its content themselves.
Abraham and Sror previously won an Oscar for the 2024 documentary "No Other Land," co-directed with Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, which depicted Palestinian resistance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Human rights organizations also called for thorough investigations into casualty numbers in Gaza, especially civilians, and demanded unrestricted access for journalists after Israel has mostly limited foreign press access since October 2023.