Oct 12, 2026 · 32 min
Israeli filmmakers challenge wartime targeting practices
The Israeli Film Directors Pushing for a Reckoning in Their Home Country
The episode examines how a documentary’s reporting on civilian harm confronts Israel’s military, political and social taboos.
- 1Naza investigates surveillance and targeting systems that can direct strikes toward homes and entire families in Gaza.
- 2Its directors defend a disputed civilian-casualty claim while acknowledging that the film’s verification could have been shown more fully.
- 3The filmmakers argue that trauma, antisemitism fears and political retaliation cannot override reporting on civilian harm.
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Yuval Abraham explains why the film includes the “Where Is Daddy?” targeting system and defends its disputed account of potential civilian casualties.
The brief
Naza won acclaim at the Venice Film Festival but triggered protests, threats and fierce backlash in Israel, forcing directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Zor to weigh public accountability against personal safety.
The filmmakers describe 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers discussing surveillance and targeting operations, including the “Where Is Daddy?” system that tracked Hamas members until they returned home.
Abraham defends the film’s disputed claim that one strike was approved despite the possibility of up to 500 civilian casualties; the Israeli military denies it and describes safeguards.
The film’s central tension is distance: intimate scenes of everyday life in Tel Aviv sit beside limited Gaza footage showing the consequences of systems operated from Israel.
After Oct. 7, some soldiers began questioning their role as civilian harm became harder to ignore; Abraham says neither trauma nor antisemitism fears can stop truthful reporting.