The claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza has spread widely in the global press, on social media platforms, in podcasts, and certainly in Hollywood. There is an intentional effort to create a powerful propaganda narrative that obscures reality and undermines a fair and just understanding of the conflict.
Unfortunately, the state of Israel’s enemies now have fresh support in the form of a new documentary to undergird their narrative. It is imperative that we clarify the facts behind the allegations, assess the distortions alongside actual numbers, and explain the implications for truth-seekers everywhere as they pertain to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Gaza Death Toll: Numbers in Context
Since October 7th, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has reported, as of September 27, 2026, an estimated 74,000 casualties in Gaza. Usually, one must do some digging and a little math before putting these numbers in context. Even if we accept Hamas’ numbers as correct (which I highly doubt), can this number—tragic as it may be—be used to claim Israel is committing genocide when placed against Gaza’s pre-war population of approximately 2.23 million? Put differently, even if Hamas were correct that Israel is responsible for every death in Gaza since October 7th, are we to believe that the 3.3% war-related casualty rate merits a charge of genocide?
For perspective, recall that 66% of Europe’s Jewry perished in the Holocaust. In fact, 39% of the world’s Jewish population was killed under Hitler. That was genocide. Yet we are expected to accept that when Israel conducts a defensive war against a terrorist state, Hamas’ 3.3% purported casualty rate warrants similar charges? Even the United Nations, which has often not been a friend of Israel, refuses to adopt Hamas’ numbers as its own (although it posts them with a statement attributing their origin). How much more should Christians take the time to contextualize these numbers carefully before passing judgment?
Many are unaware that Hamas deliberately obscures the data related to deaths during this war. For example, Gaza’s annual average mortality from causes unrelated to war was about 5,734 deaths before October 7th. Yes, Gaza’s population, like any populace, has a mortality rate even in the absence of conflict. Whether caused by car crashes, illness, accidents, or old age, death occurs. Conveniently for Hamas, no distinction has been made since October 7th regarding the cause of death in Gaza. This is exactly how they want it. For instance, a young man who drowns in the Mediterranean will be counted as though Israel is responsible.
Furthermore, whenever the Gaza Health Ministry provides demographic breakdowns of those killed (men, women, children, elderly), they refuse to clarify how many within these groups are combatants. For example, a seventeen-year-old male who fights as a combatant is still classified as a child for optics in much of the reporting. We are unsure how many women are agitators, and people over 60 are classified as elderly without differentiation for their combatant status. Remember, the infamous terrorist Yahya Sinwar was 61 when he was killed and would be counted among the elderly casualties.
I have not yet addressed the roughly 36,000 men reported by Hamas as civilian casualties in Gaza. Are we to believe that most are innocent non-combatants? If we were to generously concede that only half of these men were combatants, and not the majority, Gaza’s civilian casualty claim reduces to approximately 1.8% after accounting for the annual mortality rate. If most of the 31,000 men were combatants, the number reduces to under 1%. We cannot know for sure, and that is precisely the point.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not want the actual numbers scrutinized because it damages their false genocide narrative. For reference, the highest number of Hamas combatants the IDF claims responsibility for killing is 20,000. Given that the civilian casualty toll is probably well below Gaza’s claimed 3%, the charge of genocide is absurd.
Lastly, it cannot be overstated that Hamas does everything possible to maximize the death toll in Gaza, whether by stealing food and medical aid from outside sources (including Israel) or by embedding terrorists within civilian areas such as hospitals and schools, effectively using their population as human shields. Astonishingly, Israeli military operations sacrifice the element of surprise in efforts to neutralize threats in those densely populated areas where Hamas deliberately compromises civilian safety. Often, Israel sends Gazans text messages or drops flyers from the air, providing warnings before strikes aimed at Hamas.
Flawed Interpretations of Genocide
It would be one thing if Israel actually stated that genocide or ethnic cleansing was the goal. The world would then have a duty to intervene. It is significant that Israel has repeatedly emphasized its war goals and that genocide is not among them. Since this war is a response to an attempted invasion on 10/7—where 1200 innocent Israelis were murdered—we must give Israel the benefit of the doubt and examine the evidence as it fights this just war. The evidence does not support charges of genocide.
As it has often been said, if genocide were the goal, Israel is doing a terrible job of it.
But what does the world lose by such misuse of the word “genocide?” Wrongful labeling of Israel’s defensive military actions as genocide misappropriates this grave charge. It fuels a media and political campaign that confuses global audiences and seeks to delegitimize Israel’s right to protect its citizens against the existential threat posed by Hamas terrorism.
In international law, genocide refers to acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such. It should be noted that the post-1948 standards for establishing a legal charge of genocide were originally very high. Thanks to media influence and political agendas, dishonest journalism and hyperbolic use of the term risk rendering “genocide” meaningless.
Activist journalists should consider the precedent they are setting when misappropriating the term genocide. If such a charge can be so easily leveled, a dangerous trend will follow. Accusations of genocide will become cheap political tools, dissolving the line between war crimes and legitimate defense. True perpetrators of genocide may be emboldened to act with impunity. This weakens international law, justice, and the moral framework needed to prevent real atrocities.
Same Bias, Different Charges
If you are newly tuning into Israel’s challenges on the world stage, it is important to know that the media’s campaign against Israel is not new. When it comes to Gaza’s partnership with the media, the same tactics persist: reinterpreting Israel’s agenda, selective casualty reporting, omitting the element of terrorism, glossing the terrorists, failing to clarify combatant status, attaching misleading photos to articles, or including pictures in articles without context. We are in an age of deception.
There is also the factor of opportunity. Remember COVID-19? The virus that wreaked havoc on individual freedoms, fair elections, and the global economy. Though there is broad international consensus that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, anti-Zionist and antisemitic opportunists used the virus to incite hatred against Israel. Political cartoons suggested COVID was an Israeli invention; some insinuated the IDF locked Gazans into the Strip so the virus could cleanse the land of Arabs. This was the best opportunity available to Hamas at the time.
I mention this to say that Israel’s success in its defensive war against Hamas has provided a new opportunity in Gaza, if not the only opportunity left. Old slanders of “ethnic cleansing” have been repackaged.
Enter NAZA: Fuel for the Hollywood Propaganda Machine
Premiered in the US today, Hollywood’s new favorite documentary, NAZA, portrays Gaza through a narrow lens implying victimization alone at Israel’s behest.
The documentarians, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, recently earned a 25-minute standing ovation when the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. With the Special Jury Prize in hand, Abraham and Szor are poised to become Tinseltown’s new political media darlings precisely because they are Israelis who blame Israel as a colonizer. This should raise concern, as they capitalize on controversy and victim narratives to secure fame and fortune.
What is even more concerning is the emotional manipulation used to mask the fruits of terrorism while turning a just war into a profitable grievance industry. With the US premiere, we can expect a surge in liberal media platforms, social media influencers, and podcasts echoing the false genocide narrative anew.
Problems with NAZA and its Activist Journalism
NAZA has significant problems as a film. It frames Israel as a genocidal aggressor, yet refuses transparency for audiences worldwide. All its witnesses, so-called IDF insiders, remain anonymous. This renders fact verification impossible. Additionally, the film’s narrative aligns closely with left-leaning outlets such as The Guardian, known for their critical stance on Israel (no surprise).
Yuval Abraham is not an objective journalist. His activist journalism, rooted in Israel’s internal divisions on handling the so-called “Palestinians, ” has been ongoing since 2019. Even after October 7th, some Israeli citizens advocate solutions such as a two-state arrangement or even a neutral, non-Jewish and non-Islamic state. Abraham views are not unlike these. Anyone familiar with his reporting will note that he often prejudges Israel harshly, downplays Hamas’s criminality (with the exception of the October 7th attacks), and largely trusts Palestinian sources. This is what Gad Saeed calls “suicidal empathy. ”
The asymmetry in Abraham’s journalism is telling. He often understates security threats and disregards the real risks to Jewish safety. What does he think the slogan “from the river to the sea” actually means? Does he seriously believe the Jewish people would be safe in the land if that slogan were realized? Does giving away land for peace really work? Just look at what became of Gaza when Ariel Sharon forcibly removed the Jewish people from the strip and handed it to the Arabs over twenty years ago. Sadly, Abraham’s perspective reflects a politically charged narrative more than balanced journalism. He offers no solutions for his people and consistently misplaces blame.
NAZA’s Claims and Israel’s Response
NAZA’s primary allegation is that Israel uses artificial intelligence to assess civilian casualty potential before approving military strikes. First, it is dishonest to portray civilian casualty assessments as a negative when such assessments are a moral effort in warfare. War is terrible, but international law recognizes that casualties are inevitable. Good militaries assess civilian risks and call off attacks if the civilian casualties are too high.
NAZA also charges that Israel has approved strikes with high predicted civilian casualties. Israel rightly denies these charges. And for the record, legal authorization by a human is always required before a strike. If anything, given the more realistic casualty percentages I’ve estimated above (1%), the IDF best models how to conduct effective civilian casualty assessments using precise targeting strategies in complex environments.
Just last week, more than 6,000 academics, legal professionals, historians, public figures, cultural figures, and others signed an open letter rejecting claims that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Rightly so.
Conclusion: The Effects of the Genocide Libel and the Christian’s Response
Christians seeking truth and justice should look beyond sensationalist headlines and recognize the complex realities facing Israel and Gaza. Israel defends its citizens against a ruthless terror organization that weaponizes civilians. False genocide claims damage Israel’s cause and threaten genuine global efforts to combat atrocities.
Greater problems now confront the Jewish community worldwide. Misguided genocide accusations, fueled further by NAZA, have negative repercussions for Jews everywhere. Jewish citizens of Israel and diaspora communities face increased hostility, especially in Europe.
A Dutch decree recently banned the import, purchase, or sale of goods produced by Jewish communities in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Judea and Samaria, with penalties of up to six years in prison and fines equivalent to $122,000 per individual (or $1.22 million per company). Even an unintentional violation by travelers—Jewish or not—can yield up to a year of detention. This means that precious objects of Jewish life (Judean olive oil, Judaica such as Mezuzahs) made where Jewish life began, are becoming contraband. Imagine being a Christian pilgrim, unknowingly subjected to jail time on a layover in the Netherlands for buying a cross made of olive wood near the Temple Mount. It is far more frustrating for Jews already facing rising antisemitism.
In the UK, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced on September 8th a ban on imports and sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure financing, real estate, and advertising related to Jewish communities beyond the 1949 armistice lines in the Holy Land.
Several governments—Britain, Canada, France, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and others—have signed joint statements supporting European trade restrictions. France announced its own measures on September 9th. Belgium has approved a draft decree. Norway is considering a law stronger than the others, covering goods, real estate, services, and business sales, potentially imposing a three-year prison sentence on violators. Spain’s import ban has been in force for months, and Ireland’s took effect on September 19th.
As Christians, we must seek truth, stand with it, reject slander, speak out, stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends, and pray for peace grounded in justice. When the Messiah returns to restore Israel, righteousness will indeed reign in the Promised Land and over all the nations abroad. Until then, let us not forget God’s enduring covenant with Israel and answer the call for an honest witness in turbulent times.
