Trucks with Oct. 7 footage and hostage images meet NAZA film premiere in New York

Protesters gathered outside Lincoln Center in New York as the documentary NAZA had its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival, several Israeli and international outlets reported. The Times of Israel reported that several dozen people took part in a rally led by Israelis, organised by the Israeli-American Council, an advocacy group. Demonstrators carried Israeli and American flags along with placards showing images from the Hamas invasion of Israel in October 2023, bearing the words "Learn the facts. Know the truth."

Organisers also parked vehicles fitted with LED screens outside the venue. According to The Times of Israel, the screens displayed images of hostages who had been held by terror groups in Gaza, and the trucks carried the message "Context is not censorship. It's responsibility." Ynet reported in a news alert that trucks had been stationed outside the screening with a slogan that translates from Hebrew as "History has no editors." Israel Hayom reported ahead of the event that footage documenting the Oct. 7 massacre would be played on giant screens outside the festival venue while the film was shown inside.

What the film claims

According to The Times of Israel, NAZA purports to show that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the country's military, used artificial intelligence to select targets in Gaza and treated high numbers of civilian deaths as acceptable collateral damage during the early phase of the war. The IDF has denied the film's main claims, the paper said.

Israel Hayom described the documentary as having provoked widespread controversy both in Israel and abroad, and noted that critics often call it "anti-Zionist." The reports reviewed here do not include a response from the filmmakers.

Who organised the protest

The Times of Israel named the Israeli-American Council as the group leading the protest, and The Jerusalem Post described the demonstrators as Israeli and Jewish protesters who displayed footage from the October 7 massacre. A photograph published by the Post was credited to the Israeli-American Council and captioned as showing the council's campaign ahead of the first screening of the film in the city.

Israeli broadcaster N12, however, attributed the campaign to the Israeli consulate in New York, in an item from its reporter Keren Bezalel. N12 quoted Akunis as calling the filmmakers "shameful people" and saying Israel would not stand by or stay silent over what he described as incitement against Israeli soldiers and against the State of Israel. The reports do not make clear whether the council and the consulate worked together or ran separate efforts.

Background for readers outside Israel

The New York Film Festival is held at Lincoln Center, one of the city's main performing arts venues. A North American premiere is the first public showing of a film on the continent, which draws attention from press and audiences.

The imagery the protesters chose refers to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023, known in Israel as the Oct. 7 massacre, during which hostages were taken into Gaza. That attack began the war in Gaza that the documentary examines. By placing footage of the attack and images of hostages outside the venue, organisers set out to present what their signs framed as missing context for the film's account of the war.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports gives a precise count of protesters beyond The Times of Israel's estimate of several dozen, and none describes any counter-demonstration, arrests or disruption to the screening. The reports do not say how festival organisers responded, whether the film's makers addressed the protest, or how the audience received the documentary.

The sources also differ on some details. N12 credits the Israeli consulate with the campaign, while The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post point to the Israeli-American Council. The Times of Israel dates its photograph of the protest to September 26, while a Jerusalem Post photo caption gives September 27. Israel Hayom said the premiere was on Saturday. The reports do not give Akunis's full name or title, and they do not provide further detail on the specific evidence the film presents about AI targeting.