‘Blood libel’: IDF chief orders legal review, classified leak probe over NAZA film

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered a legal review and an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified material used in the film “NAZA.” Zamir accused the film, which features testimony from 24 former Unit 8200 intelligence soldiers discussing military operations during the Gaza war, of spreading “blood libels, deliberate distortions of reality, and grave, false accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders.” He stated, “This is an attack on the State of Israel, not only on the IDF.” The directives followed a senior-level consultation, leading to the establishment of a multidisciplinary team to counter false allegations and an examination by the Military Advocate General of possible legal measures against those involved, including individuals who may have disclosed classified intelligence. The film, which won a critics’ prize at the Venice Film Festival, has sparked significant controversy in Israel, with filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor defending it as a documentation of a system revealed through participant testimony.