IDF denies claim in new ‘NAZA’ documentary that it planned Gaza strike with anticipated 500 civilian deaths

The Israeli military denies ever planning or carrying out a strike during the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in which 500 civilian deaths were anticipated, following such claims made in a documentary by Israeli filmmakers about Israel’s alleged AI-powered attacks that have led to civilian deaths.

A promotional clip for the film “NAZA” — a Hebrew acronym meaning collateral damage — shows a purported Israeli intelligence soldier being asked what the largest number of expected civilian deaths was ever approved for a strike in Gaza.

“I don’t know how many were killed, because they never check this, but there was once an approval for 500,” the whistleblower says.

In response to an X post (below) containing the clip, the Israel Defense Forces says the claim is “completely false.”

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Ex-Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers BROKE THEIR SILENCE, describing an ICE-COLD SYSTEM where strikes were calculated to kill as many people as possible in Gaza.

Their testimony is now a film at the Venice Film Festival. pic.twitter.com/lwdMSMbErm

— Rabbi Jeff (@RabbiJeffx) September 10, 2026

“The IDF has never planned, approved, or carried out a strike in Gaza in which 500 civilians or anything near that number were anticipated to be killed. Nor was any credible claim raised throughout the war suggesting that an IDF strike had caused anything near that number of fatalities,” the military says.

The IDF says that filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor “couldn’t possibly verify this claim, there is no real supporting evidence, and yet they published it anyway.”

“Additionally, nothing about the interviewee, not his service nor his role can be independently checked and verified,” the military adds.

The IDF already on Friday said it “categorically rejects” the allegations made in the film, saying that decisions regarding the selection and approval of strikes were made “by human personnel only… and not by artificial intelligence.”

Also, in its initial response to the film, the IDF said that “the excerpts cited include claims regarding national and military strategy that are clearly beyond the knowledge of junior-level soldiers,” and that there are “references to situations in which IDF Intelligence Directorate soldiers, who were allegedly interviewed for the film, by definition would not have been involved.”

The 80-minute documentary won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival.