Soldier: Paid to Inflate Casualty Figures in 'Neza' Film

Quantin Investigations has published an interview with a young man claiming to have been one of the sources behind the documentary film "NAZA", in which he levels serious accusations against the filmmakers. According to him, the data presented in the film were artificially inflated in exchange for cash payments, Walla reported.

"Yes, I participated in this film unfortunately, and they just did so many manipulations to me," the young man said in an interview conducted by private investigator Shmulik Maman. He went on to address the scale of harm alleged in the film: "I can tell you that numbers of collateral damage of 400 and 500 don't exist. But when they offer you ten shekels for every additional person you say: say 400, you'll get 4,000, say 500, you'll get 5,000."

According to him, the opportunity to receive cash led people to present false and inflated data. "So people start to exaggerate, they see the money and cash in front of their eyes, what can you do," he said. The young man claimed the military reality was completely different: "I can tell you that in the army it was never like that. I think the worst was 90 collateral damage and that was also when they eliminated Mohammed Deif. And about 50% of the people from the collateral damage were Hamas terrorists."

The interviewee leveled sharp criticism at the way data was collected for the film: "No one contacts the Ministry of Health on the Palestinian side and asks them if there was an elimination that caused collateral damage of 500? Forget 500, there wasn't even 100."

When asked if he looks back with regret, the young man responded sharply: "To say in hindsight that I made a big mistake, yes. I want to say to all the directors, the extreme leftists - what interests the filmmakers is money and money only. They sell their own country for money so they can have an anti-Israeli ideology."

It should be noted that private investigator Shmulik Maman told Walla in response that he had neither the ability nor the desire to verify the details, and served only as a platform for airing the statements while protecting the young man's privacy. To date, neither the interviewee nor the investigation office have provided any concrete proof that he was actually among the film's participants or received any payment for providing testimony.

The affair is unfolding against the backdrop of harsh statements from the IDF Chief of Staff and IDF Spokesperson. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered an examination of legal action against the creators of "ZAZA," which won an award at the Venice Film Festival. In a consultation he held, Zamir emphasized that this is a deliberate attempt to directly harm the legitimacy of the IDF and the State of Israel.

"According to the publications emerging so far, this is not a film criticizing the IDF and is not an attempt to clarify the truth," the Chief of Staff said. "It is based on blood libels, deliberate distortion of reality, and false and serious accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders."

In parallel, IDF officials approached the Shin Bet requesting assistance in investigating the film. The IDF is particularly concerned about the possibility that classified information or information prohibited from publication was used during the film's production. As part of the examination, the identity of the interviewees is also being checked, including whether some are still serving in the IDF or reserves.

A focal point of attention is Unit 8200, partly due to its extensive connections with intelligence bodies and international entities and the concern about damage to its operations and personnel. Military sources noted that if it turns out active servicemembers were involved in transferring prohibited information, the possibility of taking action against them will be examined.