NAZA: A Film That Forces Us to Confront the Human Cost of AI in Warfare

When Cinema Becomes a Mirror to War

On a night when cinema usually celebrates storytelling, the 83rd Venice Film Festival became a stage for a much more sobering performance. Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor premiered their film NAZA, an unflinching look at Israel's use of artificial intelligence in its military operations in Gaza. What unfolded was not just a film screening, but a collective standing ovation that lasted 25 minutes—a rare moment of global recognition for a work so raw and unsettling.

The title NAZA, derived from an Israeli intelligence euphemism, translates roughly to 'number of anticipated civilian casualties'—a chilling reflection of how the Israeli military quantifies death. In this film, that metric becomes a lens through which we witness a war not just fought on territory, but with algorithms, surveillance, and remote targeting systems.

“It was done on a mass scale, like a factory,” one source in the film recalls, speaking of the systematic use of AI-assisted targeting. “Like a video game, because everything is done remotely.”

This isn't just an exposé; it's a reckoning. The film's investigation, which took nearly three years to compile, relies on testimonies from Israeli military and intelligence personnel who chose to remain anonymous. Their voices—digitally altered, filmed at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv—are the heart of NAZA's power.

The result is a haunting portrayal of warfare in the age of artificial intelligence. It's a war where decisions are made by data sets, not conscience, and where human lives are reduced to pixels in an algorithmic pipeline.

Revealing the Mechanisms of Dehumanization

One of the most unsettling aspects of NAZA is how it reveals the normalization of violence. As one intelligence source explains, targeting is no longer about individual judgment—it's a system designed for scale and efficiency. The AI tool known as “Lavender” uses Gaza's telecommunications network to track movement and interactions, identifying targets with chilling precision.

The film doesn't shy away from showing how these systems operate within the broader structure of military command. In fact, the testimonies are often couched in a tone of detachment that speaks to a deeper desensitization—a normalization of mass killing through automation.

“There can be no denying what intelligence personnel knew,” one interviewee reveals, adding that they “witnessed with their own eyes and ears that the homes they were 'incriminating' were filled with families.” This admission, delivered by a former Israeli intelligence official, is one of the film's most devastating revelations.

It's not enough to say that this was an error or a tragic byproduct. As Abraham and Szor write jointly in +972 Magazine, “the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza… was not a 'tragic byproduct' of a war against Hamas… but a premeditated, calculated, and intentional act.” This framing challenges Western governments to re-evaluate their support for policies that enable such actions.

A Global Reckoning Through the Lens of Art

The standing ovation at Venice is more than just a moment of appreciation. It's a global statement—a call to recognize the ethical and moral implications of how we engage with technology in warfare. In a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly used in military contexts, NAZA demands that we ask hard questions about accountability and humanity.

The film's production team, including UK-based producer Jim Wilson and executive producer Jonathan Glazer (of The Zone of Interest fame), have brought together a powerful coalition of voices to ensure that the story reaches a wide audience. Screen International called it an “urgent, gut-punch,” while The Hollywood Reporter described it as inspiring “outrage… indignity as well. Most certainly disgust, on a profound level.”

These reactions reflect a growing awareness that the tools of warfare are no longer just physical weapons—they're algorithms and data sets that can be weaponized in ways we're only beginning to understand.

The Cost of Silence

In an environment where foreign journalists have been barred from Gaza, NAZA provides a rare window into what's happening inside the occupied territories. But beyond its documentary value, the film serves as a moral compass for global audiences—especially those in positions of power who have chosen to look away.

Abraham has made it clear that his intent was not only to expose but also to provoke action. “Those of us inside Israel and Palestine trying to fight for change need it,” he told AFP. “You are weakening the people inside who are supporting human rights and a political solution by refusing to act.”

What's at stake is not just the fate of civilians in Gaza, but our collective responsibility to prevent the further erosion of international humanitarian norms through technology. NAZA forces us to ask: How do we preserve human dignity when machines begin to make life-and-death decisions?

Looking Forward: The Future of Warfare and Ethics

The world is at a crossroads. We are witnessing the integration of AI into warfare in unprecedented ways, and NAZA serves as both a warning and a call to action. This film doesn't just chronicle war—it challenges the structures that allow it to continue.

As global powers grapple with questions of regulation, transparency, and accountability in the use of AI in military operations, films like NAZA will play an increasingly important role in shaping public opinion and policy. They remind us that technology alone doesn't define our future—it's how we choose to wield it that matters.

In the end, NAZA is more than a film. It's a mirror held up to our collective conscience. And if we are to honor those who have suffered under systems like Lavender, we must ensure that no more silence follows such a powerful wake-up call.