Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar has threatened to revoke the citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their documentary on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Zohar accused the filmmakers of harming Israel and seeking international praise from what he described as “antisemites.” In a post on X, he said he would move to revoke their Israeli citizenship, accusing them of treason against the state.

The documentary, “NAZA,” examines Israel’s targeting practices during the Gaza war and features interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel. The interviewees reportedly provided accounts of AI-assisted targeting systems and described how military decisions were made during the campaign.

Abraham said the Israeli intelligence personnel interviewed for the film described the mass killing of Palestinians as systematic rather than accidental, alleging that it resulted from deliberate policies and the dehumanization of Palestinians.

Israel’s military has rejected the allegations presented in the documentary, questioning the use of anonymous testimonies and saying the identities and claims of the whistleblowers could not be independently verified. The military also denies deliberately targeting civilians.

The documentary focuses on Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, launched following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and others were taken hostage.

According to Gaza health authorities, whose casualty figures are generally regarded by the United Nations as broadly reliable, more than 73,000 Palestinians, including around 20,000 children, have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli offensive.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned Abraham and Szor, calling them a “disgrace and an embarrassment” to Israel.

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that citizenship can, under certain legal circumstances, be revoked for acts considered to constitute serious disloyalty, including espionage or treason. However, Zohar’s threat against the filmmakers has intensified debate over freedom of expression and criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.