A documentary that has nothing to do with tourism is making global headlines, and it says something about how complicated travel to the eastern Mediterranean has become. "NAZA," directed by Oscar winners Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival — and promptly became the target of furious official responses in Israel.
The film is built on anonymised testimony from 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel, their faces and voices digitally altered, interviewed in secret over three years, reportedly on rooftops in Tel Aviv. They describe targeting practices in Gaza, including strikes on homes where civilians were known to be present, the burning of residential areas sheltering displaced Palestinians, and killings during food distribution. The title refers to a Hebrew acronym for the expected civilian casualty count of a given strike.
The reaction was swift. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the film "antisemitic incitement"; military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the army prosecutor to look at possible legal action, accusing the filmmakers of defamation and distorting reality. Culture Minister Miki Zohar went further, threatening to seek the revocation of the directors' citizenship, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called them a disgrace. The army rejected the film's allegations, disputing in particular claims about AI-assisted targeting and insisting humans make final strike decisions.
The context is grim: local health authorities put the death toll in Gaza since October 2023 above 73,600, with UN figures indicating more than 20,000 children among the dead.
Why flag this on a travel site? Because readers weighing trips to Israel, the Palestinian territories or neighbouring countries deserve honest context about what's happening in the region, including how contested and polarised the information environment is. This is a story about cinema, censorship and conflict — not a holiday tip — and it does not point to any destination experience to plan around. If you're considering travel anywhere in the region, check your own government's current travel advisories first.