Israeli soldiers posted their own war crimes online. This film found them.
This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long conflict. The I-Unit has built up a database of thousands of videos, photos and social media posts. Where possible it has identified the posters and those who appear. The material reveals a range of illegal activities, from wanton destruction and looting to the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and murder. The film also tells the story of the war through the eyes of Palestinian journalists, human rights workers and ordinary residents of the Gaza Strip. And it exposes the complicity of Western governments – in particular the use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as a base for British surveillance flights over Gaza.
Direction
Phil Rees turns social media into war crime prosecution.
Editing
Thousands of posts curated into devastating narrative architecture.
Production
RAF Akrotiri revelation redefines 'documentary impact.'
Director
Phil Rees
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The I-Unit's database methodology—geolocating, timestamping, identifying soldiers from their own posts—represents a new forensic paradigm where perpetrators become involuntary documentarians of their own crimes.
The film's existence itself became diplomatic friction; several European broadcasters declined distribution citing 'balance' concerns, making its Al Jazeera origin part of the text—who gets to investigate whom?
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
QA
GB
