# Who paid for Naza: The Real Story? The makers answer

Was Naza: The Real Story funded or made with the IDF or the Israeli government? Co-creator Ariel Averbuch answers the questions journalists keep asking.

## Key takeaways

- Three private individuals made the film and paid for it themselves, with no government, military or outside funding (Ariel Averbuch).
- Neither the Israeli government nor the IDF knew about the film until it was finished (Ariel Averbuch).
- The Israeli Embassy in the United States shared the finished film on its own initiative; after release, the National Public Diplomacy Directorate gave the makers a certificate of recognition (Prime Minister's Office).
- Some previously unpublished footage was recorded by the soldiers who testify and handed over by them, not declassified by the IDF (Ariel Averbuch).

## The questions journalists ask

Since [the film](https://nazadocumentary.com/film) went online, reporters have asked its makers the same three things: did the Israeli government fund or help make it, what was the IDF's role, and is the government promoting it. Co-creator Ariel Averbuch answered them in writing. His answers are below, in his words.

## Who paid

"No. Three private individuals made Naza: The Real Story and paid for its production out of their own pockets. We received no government, military or other external funding or production support. In fact, neither the Israeli government nor the IDF knew we were making the film until it was complete."

The three are Roi Danino, Ariel Averbuch and Hagay Gutman, introduced on [the creators page](https://nazadocumentary.com/about).

## The IDF's role

"None." Averbuch says the difference between the two films is the evidence on screen: "We identify our interviewees' wartime roles and present their firsthand testimony alongside extensive visual documentation, including photographs, bodycam recordings, drone and aircraft footage, terrain analysis, and actual cockpit footage showing strikes being aborted because civilians were nearby."

## Where the footage came from

Some coverage called the footage "declassified". Averbuch says that is not how it was obtained: "We did not declassify footage or receive it through an IDF production arrangement. Some previously unpublished material was recorded by the soldiers providing testimony and supplied by them directly, independently of any institutional IDF participation."

## The embassy and the certificate

"The Israeli Embassy in the United States shared the completed film on its own initiative, without our prior knowledge or coordination," Averbuch says. After the release, the director of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, Tzipi Hotovely, presented the makers with a certificate of recognition, as the Prime Minister's Office posted on X. Beyond that sharing, he says, the makers received no government help with distribution or promotion.

## The same standard for both films

"Protecting sources can be legitimate. But anonymity cannot substitute for evidence, and serious accusations require more than 'take my word for it,'" Averbuch says. He points to [reporting in The Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-908586) that raised questions about NAZA director Yuval Abraham's longstanding partnership with Ahmed Alnaouq and allegations concerning Alnaouq's links to Hamas: "Questions about independence and affiliations deserve consistent scrutiny across both productions."

He adds that the IDF was not given an opportunity to answer NAZA's specific allegations before its first publication, and that the same basic standard of responsible journalism should apply to both films.

## Watch both and decide

"Hamas's conduct is indispensable to any serious examination of civilian casualties in Gaza," Averbuch says. "What do Hamas's priorities reveal when its terrorists discard their uniforms and deliberately embed themselves among civilians? Our film answers that question." The full answers are in [the FAQ](https://nazadocumentary.com/faq). Watch both films, look at the evidence each one shows, and decide for yourself.