Inside the darkness of the IDF

RITA DI SANTO recommends an astonishing documentary that offers first hand accounts of how the IDF plans and enforces its genocide of Palestinians

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ONE of the most anticipated films at the Venice Film Festival was the documentary Naza, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the co-directors of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land.

This gripping documentary features 24 interviews with Israeli intelligence members and soldiers, revealing chilling testimonies about plans to devastate Gaza following the events of October 7. The United Nations has labelled these actions, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, as genocidal.

The film has provoked outrage in the Netanyahu government, that has threatened to revoke the directors’ citizenship and to introduce a Bill to that effect for those who “defame IDF soldiers.” The directors’ families in Israel have also been subject to abuse.

The title Naza refers to the term used by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to indicate expected civilian casualties in Gaza. Tragically, entire Palestinian families can be annihilated in the pursuit of a strategic target, such as a Hamas militant in their home. The presence or accurate identification of the target seems irrelevant; the death of innocents is an accepted consequence.

In fact, there is an allowable number of “Naza” casualties that escalates based on the significance of the targeted individual: 20 for junior targets and unlimited for higher-ranking ones.

This chilling policy is detailed by military intelligence personnel and special forces who have executed this machinery of widespread extermination, a system meticulously developed by the state of Israel and now enhanced by advancements in the use of AI.

Naza mingles testimonies, some previously published in the English newspaper The Guardian, in collaboration with director Jonathan Glazer and producer James Wilson. Hearing these accounts from those who perpetrated these actions fundamentally shifts our perspective. For the first time, we are not merely observers of Gaza; we are drawn into understanding the chilling mechanisms of daily exterminations.

Throughout the military narratives certain terms recur. One such term is “cleaning”: “we had to clean,” they repeat. After conducting remote killings, soldiers on the ground burn homes to erase any trace of the Palestinians, their existence and memory.

Another frequently mentioned term is “to kill.” The documentary recounts instances where individuals were shot while running toward food. Each testimony reveals increasingly brutal moments, including the tragic killing of a child who unknowingly approached dead bodies, only to be shot as well, with their body left to be consumed by dogs.

Archival footage reveals that this surveillance has been ongoing since at least 1967, when Israel began controlling Gaza’s infrastructure, including telecommunications.

The interviews were filmed at night on rooftops, with the faces and voices of the interviewees altered for anonymity. Abraham listens intently and poses questions as reflections of life in Tel Aviv flicker in the windows of nearby buildings. Televisions broadcast propaganda images of Netanyahu while families dine, and others relax on sofas. Below, the city buzzes with bustling cafes and traffic flowing along the seafront.

On the streets, the Day of Remembrance is observed, while the film archive in Tel Aviv screens Shoah by Lanzmann. References to the Holocaust and Nazis appear in various soldiers’ statements, highlighting a foundational element of Israeli society, one that Netanyahu has shamelessly exploited since October 7 to legitimize his actions. “I still think that the Nazis were evil, but then, who am I?” one interviewee asks.

It takes immense courage to pose such questions to Israeli society, as the film does. Naza compels viewers to confront these uncomfortable truths, challenging the normalisation of genocide with questions that continue to be avoided.

The coldness of these testimonies is shocking, informative, and emotionally gripping, leaving the audience in profound silence regarding our shared complicity. It speaks to our collective responsibility. Naza is a film that will linger in your thoughts long after viewing.

Naza is currently being screened at film festivals

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