Regarding this film. 1. “Naza” (נז״א) is Hebrew for collateral damage, or unintended civilian casualties. There would be no reason to assess, count or consider “Naza” if the intention weren’t to minimize or avoid it. This is particularly difficult against an enemy like Hamas, for whom collateral damage means the same Palestinian civilian casualties Israel is trying to avoid. 2. Hamas doesn’t concern itself with assessing Israeli civilian casualties because civilians are among its intended targets. If they do count civilian casualties, it’s to measure success. To avoid any misunderstanding, its terrorists filmed their atrocities and fire hundreds of indiscriminate rockets at Israel, where a third of the population are children. 3. The film quotes one intelligence officer claiming a strike was approved that could result in 500 deaths. Yet no such strike has ever been recorded or even claimed. To date, the deadliest day of this war remains October 7, 2023. 4. I don’t blame outsiders for their ignorance. Most of the liberal world has forgotten what it means to fight a war on the home front. Its wars are fought with secret commando missions, sterile air strikes and distant battles. It is much easier to condemn the calculation that justifies an attack knowing innocent people may die when your own family isn’t under attack if you don’t make it. 5. The fact that a film like Naza can be made in Israel is itself a sign of a healthy democracy. Its writers and directors can accuse their own country and fellow citizens of grave wrongdoing and remain free to make their case. One thing is guaranteed: we will never see a Palestinian film about Hamas’s atrocities on October 7, nor even an Arab one. Everyone knows why. 6. Freedom does not confer immunity from criticism and antipathy. The director and participants made the film intending to damage their country’s reputation. They are entitled to make that choice. They are also expected to accept the opprobrium and consequences that come with it. Freedom to accuse does not mean freedom from being judged for the accusation.