New Delhi: The Israeli government is promoting a film that imitates the style of NAZA, an award-winning documentary about the mass killing of civilians in Gaza. The mockumentary, NAZA The Real Story, is an attempt to counter NAZA’s findings in the war-ravaged land.
It copies elements of the original documentary, including anonymised interviews filmed on rooftops in Tel Aviv.
The original documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by The Guardian, is currently screening in cinemas. It will premiere in the UK on 16 October. With this, the documentary will now be available in 50 countries.
The Israeli government has condemned the film and announced plans to strip Abraham and Szor of their citizenship, accusing them of treason.
Ariel Averbuch, an Israeli lawyer and army reservist who made the new film, described it as an “offensive move”. He said it was intended to shift international attention away from allegations that the Israeli military had killed civilians. The film claims that Israel has the “most moral army in the world”.
Also read: Why Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn’t want to read husband Michael Douglas’ memoir
Conflicting claims
Roi Danino, a candidate for the right-wing Israel First party, is also listed as a filmmaker on the website.
The website’s domain was registered on 16 September, six days after NAZA premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. The documentary won the festival’s Special Jury Prize and received what was described as the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history.
The website also claims that it has been watched more than 42 million times. However, the film’s official YouTube page shows only around 30,000 views.
The Israeli military has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. The military campaign has been described as genocide by a United Nations commission.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)