The Israeli public diplomacy film “NAZA – The Real Story”, created by Israel Morning editor Hagai Gutman, Lt. Col. (res.) Roi Danino, and Adv. Ariel Averbuch, was designed as a direct counterweight to the anti-Israel film produced by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Embarking on an unapologetic media campaign to expose the reality on the ground inside the Gaza Strip, the trio has generated massive viral traction, with the film crossing 7.5 million views to date. In an exclusive interview with Channel 14’s Tal Meir, the creators revealed: “We have been formally invited to screening tours across the United States and Europe in the immediate weeks ahead.”
1+Gutman, who directed and edited the project, recounted the initial spark behind the initiative: “A few weeks ago, we had an emotionally charged evening following the announcement of the festival win for the two creators. It drove me out of my mind. We held an intense debate about why a platform like that is given away unchallenged. I couldn’t understand why no one was mounting an active counter-effort. We needed to present the other side—the true, just, and unapologetic side.” Gutman underscored that the primary objective was to deliver unvarnished facts regarding conditions inside the enclave: “This is what Gaza looks like from within: a wasps’ nest of terrorists. Wherever you turn, you encounter operatives or concealed munitions.” That uncompromising focus drove the production forward: “We were amazed to see how powerful and resonant our truth actually is.” The documentary, released with full Hebrew, English, and Russian localizations, ignited explosive engagement: “Every five minutes, 25,000 new viewers enter to watch,” Gutman noted.
Adv. Ariel Averbuch emphasized that the broader public diplomacy battle is only in its opening phases: “People discuss this issue as if the incident has concluded and we are merely offering a delayed reaction. In reality, the event hasn’t even begun.” Averbuch pointed out that the rival anti-Israel film has yet to be widely distributed to the general public, having circulated primarily within restricted international film festivals and closed screenings. “The main contest is ahead of us. We are already preparing to travel abroad for international screenings. Our film is an offensive production showing that for every death in the Gaza Strip, there is solely one guilty party: Hamas.”
1+Avarbuch emphasized that the “NAZA” affair is still far from over: “We’re talking about NAZA as if the event has ended and we’re bringing some response. The event hasn’t even started yet.” According to him, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have not yet distributed the film to the general public, and the public storm erupted only after it was screened at festivals and closed events. “The event is still ahead of us. We’re preparing now to fly to screenings abroad. Our film is an offensive film that exposes that for every killing in the Strip there is one guilty party: Hamas,” he clarified.
Gutman added that the production was completed rapidly without institutional funding: “We did not take a single shekel from anyone. We relied purely on goodwill, resolve, and initiative. To our delight, it took off exponentially.” In recent hours, hostile pushback from anti-Israel activists began surfacing online, including accusations claiming, ‘Just as you stole ‘Palestine’, you will steal our film.’ “They are showing us exactly who we are up against,” Gutman observed. “I think that reaction explains everything.”