Netanyahu Orders Attorney General and Shin Bet to Identify and Prosecute Soldiers Who Spoke to Gaza Documentary

Benjamin Netanyahu has put his demand in writing. In a letter addressed to attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara, IDF chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, and Shin Bet head David Zini, the Israeli prime minister ordered officials to "act urgently to uncover the identity of all those who are involved or appear in" NAZA, a documentary produced by the Guardian and directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.

"The opening of a criminal investigation and prosecution for serious information security offences, criminal defamation, and harming Israel's diplomatic and security interests."

That is the standard Netanyahu set, according to the letter as reported by the Guardian. NAZA premiered at the Venice film festival last month and won the special jury prize after what organizers described as the longest ovation in the festival's history. The title is drawn from an acronym Israeli intelligence has used to indicate the expected number of civilian deaths in a planned airstrike.

Zamir had already moved before the prime minister's letter became public. He called the film an "attack on the state of Israel" that spreads "lies and blood libels," and he ordered military and legal officials to identify the soldiers who appeared in it and examine possible action against them. The military advocate general, Itai Ofir, has pushed back on the scope of that threat, saying criminal prosecution would require evidence of actual security violations or disclosure of classified material, though he said disciplinary measures remained possible.

The pressure campaign did not start with the letter. The Israeli government has already threatened to strip Abraham and Szor of their citizenship and accused them of treason. Supporters picketed Szor's parents' home in Savyon, chanting "Death sentence to traitors," according to the Guardian's reporting.

A Guardian spokesperson said the project's sourcing process was rigorous, drawing on leaked classified documents, verification of specific strikes, and corroboration from a wider pool of confidential sources who did not appear on camera. The team behind the film says it interviewed more than 100 people familiar with IDF targeting systems over three years, including senior commanders involved in authorizing strikes. The film builds on reporting by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian published between 2023 and 2025.

Ricardo Gutiérrez, general secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, called the government's moves "a blatant act of intimidation against journalists who have simply been doing their job." The Israeli government has separately promoted a counter-documentary, NAZA: The Real Story, made by attorney and army reservist Ariel Averbuch, who has described the project as an "offensive move."

International standards treat the protection of journalistic sources as a cornerstone of press freedom, permitting compelled disclosure only under narrow conditions. Netanyahu's letter asks the state's top legal and security officials to do the opposite: name the soldiers who spoke, and build a prosecution around what they said.