What Did the IDF Say About the NAZA Documentary?
The IDF stated on 14 September 2026 that no Gaza strike it planned or approved anticipated 500 civilian deaths, and that people, not AI, approve strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces stated on 14 September 2026 that it “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,” its own answer to a figure in the promotional clip for the documentary NAZA, as The Times of Israel reported. The IDF Spokesperson’s first response, on 11 September, “categorically rejects these allegations” and states that strikes are selected and approved “by human personnel only.” On 14 September the Chief of the General Staff instructed the Military Advocate General to examine possible legal action over the film, and told troops he had not watched it.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | Civilians the IDF states no Gaza strike it planned, approved or carried out was anticipated to kill, its own statement answering a figure in the film’s promotional clip | Israel Defense Forces, as quoted by The Times of Israel | Stated 14 September 2026 |
| 11 September 2026 | Date of the IDF Spokesperson’s first published response, which answers the film “according to the publications” | IDF Spokesperson | Friday 11 September, one day after the Venice premiere |
| 3 | Instructions the Chief of the General Staff issued: a Planning Directorate team, a legal examination by the Military Advocate General, and a leak inquiry | IDF Chief of the General Staff, as reported by The Times of Israel | 14 September 2026 |
| 2021 | Year the IDF states its Habsora tool was first used operationally, on the page its response links to | Israel Defense Forces | Page of 18 June 2024, updated 14 September 2026 |
| 9 | Questions in the FAQ the IDF added to that page, the first “Does the IDF use AI to select targets in Gaza?” | Israel Defense Forces | Added 14 September 2026 |
| 9 | Steps in the IDF’s targeting process, with legal review at step 7 and commanders’ approval at step 8, the IDF’s own account | Israel Defense Forces presentation, supplied to IsraelFact | Undated presentation |
| 18 | Clips of the IDF’s own strike footage in which a strike is called off, held or diverted | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
The IDF Spokesperson rejected the allegations on 11 September 2026
The IDF Spokesperson published the army’s first response on 11 September 2026, the day after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and stated that it responds to the film “according to the publications.” The statement is the IDF’s own account, and it carries no figure. Its points, in order:
- “The IDF categorically rejects these allegations.”
- The film “relies on anonymous testimonies from individuals whose identity cannot be verified, including whether they served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether they were involved in the matters about which the allegations are being made.”
- The excerpts include “claims regarding national and military strategy that are clearly beyond the knowledge of junior-level soldiers,” and situations in which Intelligence Directorate soldiers “by definition would not have been involved.”
- The IDF “strikes military targets and makes unprecedented efforts to minimize harm to civilians.”
- “A soldier who witnesses a violation of the law is required under military orders to report it,” and “This also applies to individuals who were interviewed for the film.”
- “Decisions regarding the selection and approval of strikes in the IDF are made by human personnel only, in accordance with IDF guidelines, and not by artificial intelligence.”
The IDF denied a 500-civilian strike on 14 September 2026
The IDF stated on 14 September 2026 that no strike it planned, approved or carried out in Gaza anticipated killing 500 civilians “or anything near that number,” its own statement, posted on its X account and quoted by The Times of Israel. The 500 is a figure for anticipated harm in the claim and in the denial alike, not a count of people killed. The statement has two halves, and a third sentence about the film’s makers.
| What the statement covers | The IDF’s words, as quoted |
|---|---|
| Planning, approval and execution | “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.” |
| The outcome of any strike | “Nor was any credible claim raised throughout the war suggesting that an IDF strike had caused anything near that number of fatalities.” |
| The film’s makers | They “couldn’t possibly verify this claim, there is no real supporting evidence, and yet they published it anyway.” |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, post of 14 September 2026, as quoted by The Times of Israel the same day.
The Chief of the General Staff issued 3 instructions on 14 September
The Chief of the General Staff issued three instructions on 14 September 2026 after meeting senior officers on the film, as The Times of Israel reported, and stated that “according to the reports that have emerged so far” the film “is based on blood libels, deliberate distortion of reality, and false and serious accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders.” The instructions are the army’s own, and an instruction to examine legal action is not a legal action taken.
- A “multi-organizational and multidisciplinary team” headed by the Planning Directorate, to “formulate courses of action and tools for addressing false claims against the IDF and its soldiers.”
- The Military Advocate General to “examine and advance possible legal actions regarding the film and those involved in it.”
- The top brass to examine “information security aspects and possible individuals involved in the leaking of classified materials that were used in producing the film.”
The same day the IDF Spokesperson, in a Hebrew-language post quoted in translation, invited the film’s makers “to allow IDF representatives to view the full film, so that we can address each of the claims raised in it in a substantive manner.”
The IDF updated its targeting page with 9 answers on AI
The IDF updated its page on data technologies in intelligence processing on 14 September 2026, first published 18 June 2024, and added nine questions and answers; its 11 September response links to that page, and the page links back to the response. The answers are the IDF’s own account of its own procedures. Four of them:
| Question on the IDF’s page | The IDF’s answer |
|---|---|
| Does the IDF use AI to select targets in Gaza? | “No.” |
| Who makes the final decision to approve an attack? | “The decision to approve an attack rests with an authorized operational commander.” |
| Does Lavender automatically mark Palestinians for assassination? | “No.” |
| Is the IDF’s targeting process fully automated? | “No.” |
The page states that Habsora “was first utilized in an operational setting in 2021,” and that Lavender “is not a list of confirmed military operatives eligible to attack.” It publishes no count of targets either tool suggested.
The IDF states it has not viewed the full film
The Chief of the General Staff wrote to troops on 14 September 2026, as The Times of Israel reported: “I have not watched the film, I do not know whom they interviewed in it or who or what is behind it. The claims and events were not presented to the IDF, and therefore it is difficult to respond to the matter seriously and professionally.” The Times of Israel reported the same day that the military had reacted only to clips posted online. The same missive states: “We constantly work to investigate, correct and improve, and we will continue to accept any substantive criticism and examine ourselves.” No IDF response to the full film appears in the material read here.
The IDF’s presentation sets legal review before commanders’ approval
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, sets out a targeting process in 9 steps, with legal review at step 7 and commanders’ approval at step 8. The presentation is the IDF’s own account of its procedure, and the approving commander, on its slide 16, is “an officer who has been professionally and operationally qualified for this role and possesses the authority to authorize strikes against designated targets.” The steps, in the slide’s order:
- Intelligence collection
- Analysis
- Identifying military objectives
- Link to mission
- Validation
- Planning
- Legal review
- Commanders’ approval
- Execution, battle damage assessment and lessons learned
18 clips of IDF footage show strikes called off, held or diverted
The IDF’s own strike footage, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, shows a strike called off in 7 clips, held in 1 and diverted in 10, dated on screen from 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026. The English subtitles are burned into the footage as supplied. The clips are a set, not a sample, and carry no count of strikes carried out.
| Outcome in the clip | Clips | On-screen dates |
|---|---|---|
| Called off, not carried out | 7 | 4 April 2024 to 25 September 2025 |
| Held pending confirmation | 1 | 14 August 2024 |
| Munition diverted from the target | 10 | 17 November 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
Source: Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact, read from the subtitles in each clip.
- There are people there
- I recommend to abort, there is a group of five people now,
- even more, possibly children and more. A lot
- A lot, it’s an appropriate time to abort
Where these figures come from
The 11 September statement and the data-technology page are published on idf.il. The 14 September statements were posted on X or issued to the press, and are quoted here as The Times of Israel reported them, in its English translation where the original was Hebrew. Each is the IDF’s own statement about allegations against it. The 500 is an anticipated-harm figure, not a death toll, and the three instructions of 14 September are instructions, not outcomes. The presentation and the 18 clips are the IDF’s own material, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF; the presentation carries no date on its face.
Questions readers ask
When did the IDF first respond to NAZA?
The IDF Spokesperson published the army’s first response on 11 September 2026, one day after the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, as The Times of Israel reported.
What did the IDF say about the 500 figure?
The IDF stated on 14 September 2026, in its own statement, that it “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.”
Does the IDF say AI chooses its strikes?
The IDF Spokesperson stated on 11 September 2026 that decisions on selecting and approving strikes “are made by human personnel only” and “not by artificial intelligence.”
Has the IDF seen the whole film?
The Chief of the General Staff wrote to troops on 14 September 2026, “I have not watched the film,” as The Times of Israel reported.
Is the IDF taking legal action against the filmmakers?
The Chief of the General Staff instructed the Military Advocate General on 14 September 2026 to “examine and advance possible legal actions,” as The Times of Israel reported. No decision appears in the material read here.
Did the IDF ask to see the film?
The IDF Spokesperson invited the film’s makers on 14 September 2026 to let IDF representatives view the full film, in a Hebrew-language post The Times of Israel quoted in translation.
What does the IDF say interviewed soldiers should do?
The IDF Spokesperson stated on 11 September 2026 that a soldier who witnesses a violation of the law is required under military orders to report it, and that this applies to those interviewed for the film.
What is Habsora?
The IDF states that Habsora is a tool first used operationally in 2021 that suggests objects for an analyst to research, and that its suggestion cannot alone identify a target.
What is Lavender?
The IDF states that Lavender is “a general-purpose database” that cross-references intelligence sources, and that “this is not a list of confirmed military operatives eligible to attack.”
Who approves an IDF strike?
The IDF states on its page updated 14 September 2026 that “the decision to approve an attack rests with an authorized operational commander.”
What else did the Chief of the General Staff order?
The Chief of the General Staff ordered a Planning Directorate team on responses to claims and an inquiry into leaked classified material, on 14 September 2026, as The Times of Israel reported.
What steps does the IDF’s targeting process have?
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact, sets out 9 steps, from intelligence collection to execution, with legal review at step 7 and commanders’ approval at step 8.
What does the IDF’s own strike footage show?
The IDF’s footage supplied to IsraelFact shows a strike called off in 7 clips, held in 1 and diverted in 10, dated on screen from 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026.
Where can the IDF’s statements be read?
The IDF published its 11 September 2026 response and its data-technology page on idf.il; its 14 September statements were quoted by The Times of Israel.
Sources
- Israel Defense Forces, 2024. The IDF’s Use of Data Technologies in Intelligence Processing. Published 18 June 2024, updated 14 September 2026. idf.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2024 to 2026. Footage of strikes called off, held or diverted, eighteen clips, on-screen dates 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own footage.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. “Process of target attack”, a presentation on targeting and civilians, slides 6 and 16. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own account of its procedure.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. Statement on the NAZA “500” claim, posted on the IDF’s X account, 14 September 2026, as quoted by The Times of Israel. Official statement by a party, relayed by Israeli press.
- IDF Spokesperson, Israel Defense Forces, 2026. The IDF Spokesperson’s Response Following the Publication of the Movie “NAZA”. 11 September 2026. idf.il. Official or primary record.
- The Times of Israel, 2026. IDF chief floats legal action against ‘NAZA’ film, orders probe of leaked material. 14 September 2026. timesofisrael.com. Israeli press, relaying IDF statements.
- The Times of Israel, 2026. Zamir tells troops IDF hasn’t seen ‘NAZA’ yet, will accept ‘substantive criticism,’ not ‘unfounded vilification’. 14 September 2026. timesofisrael.com. Israeli press, relaying an IDF statement.
