IDF rejects testimonies in Israeli-made documentary about AI-powered killing in Gaza

The IDF has categorically rejected allegations from the documentary 'NAZA' by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a 25-minute ovation. The film features 24 anonymous whistleblowers describing an AI-powered targeting system called 'Lavender' and a 'factory' for killing in Gaza. The military says the anonymous testimonies cannot be verified and that strike decisions are made by human personnel only, not AI. Former PM Naftali Bennett called the film a 'blood libel.'

The Israeli military on Friday categorically rejected allegations made in the new documentary 'NAZA' by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which premiered at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Thursday to a 25-minute standing ovation. The 80-minute film features 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers who describe an AI-powered targeting system called 'Lavender' and a 'factory' for killing in Gaza. The IDF criticized the use of anonymous testimonies, saying the identities of the whistleblowers cannot be verified, and that claims regarding national and military strategy are beyond the knowledge of junior-level soldiers. The military stated that decisions regarding the selection and approval of strikes are made 'by human personnel only… and not by artificial intelligence.' Former prime minister Naftali Bennett slammed the documentary as a 'blood libel' against Israel, arguing that if Israel wanted to hurt the people of Gaza, it would not send soldiers to fight house to house at the cost of its own casualties. The war in Gaza began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Hamas figures.