Daijiworld Media Network - Venice
Venice, Sep 11: Israeli intelligence used hacked mobile phones and monitored conversations involving Palestinian families before military strikes in Gaza, according to testimonies from former and current Israeli military and intelligence personnel featured in the new documentary NAZA.
Directed by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the documentary premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and examines surveillance and targeting systems used during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The film is based on testimonies from 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel who spoke anonymously.
According to the testimonies, Israeli intelligence used artificial intelligence-assisted systems to identify potential Hamas targets by analysing information gathered from hacked mobile phones. Some targets were subsequently attacked in their homes, even when military personnel were aware that family members could also be present.
The interviewees also described the monitoring of phone conversations involving relatives before strikes and other methods used to locate suspected targets.
The documentary further alleges that Israeli forces destroyed neighbourhoods where civilians were still sheltering and describes incidents involving the burning of civilian homes and the killing of civilians near food distribution sites.
The filmmakers said the documentary was intended to examine not merely alleged actions by individual soldiers but the wider systems, policies and practices behind military operations in Gaza.
The interviews were filmed anonymously at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv, with the faces and voices of participants digitally altered to protect their identities.
NAZA has received significant attention at the Venice festival and is competing for the Golden Lion. The documentary builds on investigations previously published by +972 Magazine, Local Call and The Guardian.
The Israeli military has maintained that human oversight remains part of its use of artificial intelligence in targeting operations.