The commander of the IDF Southern Command issued a statement Tuesday amid the controversy over the upcoming 'NAZA' documentary, asserting that the military distinguishes between combatants and non-combatants and that Hamas cynically uses civilians as human shields. He pledged that the IDF will present facts against false claims and answer difficult questions honestly.
The commander of the IDF Southern Command issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, adding a new voice to the senior military leadership's response to the controversy surrounding the upcoming documentary 'NAZA' (the Hebrew acronym for collateral damage). The statement asserted that the IDF operates with moral standards even in wartime, distinguishing between combatants and non-combatants, and accused Hamas of cynically using Gaza civilians as human shields. The commander pledged to present facts against what he called false claims, to answer difficult questions honestly, and to investigate and correct any genuine failures that are identified.
The Southern Command chief's statement is the third senior IDF reaction to the film within roughly 24 hours. On Monday at 16:25 Jerusalem, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened senior officers and described the film as a "blood libel" against the IDF, ordering a review of information security after suspected leaks, as The Zioneer reported. Hours later, at 17:18 Jerusalem, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin rejected what he termed "serious and false allegations" in the film and invited the filmmakers to screen the full documentary for IDF representatives. The Southern Command chief's remarks echo and reinforce the military's unified position.
As The Zioneer reported Monday, the Chief of Staff's emergency meeting included the Deputy Chief of Staff, head of Operations, Military Advocate General, IAF commander, and Unit 8200 commander — reflecting the severity with which the General Staff views the film's potential to delegitimize the military. The military has accused the filmmakers of using leaked classified material in the production.
It remains unclear whether the filmmakers have accepted the IDF Spokesperson's invitation to show the full film to military officials, and what specific operational incidents the documentary focuses on.
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