Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held a discussion today (Monday) at the Kirya in Tel Aviv about the film 'Naz'a', with the participation of Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Head of the Operations Division Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tishler, Commander of 8200 Brigadier General A, IDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Efi Defferin and other commanders.
The Chief of Staff insisted that this was a deliberate attempt to directly harm the legitimacy of the IDF and the State of Israel.
He added that the IDF operates in accordance with international law, the spirit of the IDF and its values, and leads the effort to reduce harm to uninvolved individuals, with a significantly lower harm ratio compared to the world's armies in harming uninvolved individuals relative to terrorists.
Zamir: "According to the publications that have emerged so far, this is not a film criticizing the IDF and is not an attempt to find out the truth. It is based on blood libels, deliberate distortion of reality, and false and serious accusations against IDF soldiers and their commanders.".
""This is a move against the State of Israel, not just against the IDF. It adopts narratives of Israel-haters, discredits our soldiers and commanders, and seeks to present the IDF as deliberately acting illegally. This is a dangerous attempt to deprive us of the legitimacy to defend ourselves against the worst of our enemies - and in the process, to actually endanger IDF soldiers and commanders.".
Zamir added: "We will not allow IDF soldiers to be targeted through lies and blood libels. In the face of such an attempt, we must act decisively, with all the tools at our disposal - legal, command, and informational.".
The Chief of Staff emphasized the need for a broad national and international outreach effort, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the National Outreach Organization, and other relevant entities.
At the end of the discussion, the Chief of Staff ordered a series of steps:
The Chief of Staff emphasized that the IDF will use all the tools at its disposal to protect its soldiers, commanders and fighters, and the good name of the Israel Defense Forces.
IDF spokesman Brigadier General Efi Dufferin issued an extensive response to the film following the storm, clarifying that the IDF rejects the claims that can be seen in the materials published so far. According to him, the full film has not yet been released, and therefore the IDF requests that you watch it before responding individually to all the claims that appear in it.
""The film 'Naz' has not yet been released in its entirety, but from what can be seen in the promo, it presents a series of harsh and false claims regarding the IDF and its servants," said Dufferin. "The claims presented in the promo are not true, and some of them are even presented in a distorted, distorted and disconnected way from reality on the ground.".
The film, created by Israelis Yuval Avraham and Rachel Shor, purports to present testimonies from Israeli soldiers and officers who claim systematic harm to uninvolved people in the Gaza Strip and to confirm widespread harm to innocent people. The film also makes allegations regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools.
The characters appearing in the film are blurred and without identifying marks, making it impossible to concretely verify their identities or examine the claims they make. Against this background, Dufferin asked the filmmakers to allow the IDF to view the full work.
""In order to allow for a substantive, professional and well-founded discussion and not to settle for false representations, I invite the filmmakers to allow IDF representatives to watch the full film, so that we can address each of the claims made in it in a substantive manner," he said. "The public discussion surrounding the film should be conducted on the basis of facts - not on the basis of false representations and false slander.".
Dufferin also rejected the claims against the IDF's manner of operation: "It is important for me to emphasize that the IDF is a moral army, operating in accordance with international law and according to binding professional values and standards. This is how we have operated over the past three years and this is how we will continue to operate, even in the most complex combat conditions.".
At the end of his remarks, the IDF spokesman provided support for the soldiers and commanders: "I, along with all IDF commanders, fully stand behind the IDF soldiers, its commanders and servants, and reject with disgust the unfounded slander against them. Those who sacrificed and defended, and still defend the state - deserve to receive support and protection in return.".
