Human Animals is a confronting but necessary documentary that examines the asymmetrical realities experienced by Israelis and Palestinians. Directed by David Wachsmann in collaboration with Palestinian filmmaker Mhammad Babai, the film contrasts a series of Israeli interviews with troubling on-the-ground footage of civilians trying to survive in Gaza. Their previous film, Two Kids a Day, won the Best Research Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the Grand Prix Japan Prize.
Their follow-up film is a challenging look at the systemic dehumanisation of the Palestinian people, who too often suffer the effects of denial and dogma. Through a series of eye-opening testimonials, Human Animals allows the viewer to assess how history, ideology, and prejudice can shape some of the most dangerous collective mindsets.
Kahn Duncan spoke with Mhammad Babai about Human Animals which is being presented by the Jewish Council of Australia on Thursday September 17th.
https://www.jewishcouncil.com.au/2026/08/human-animals
Read Keren Tova Rubinstein's essay on Human Animals here:
Guest Author
In Human Animals, you use the film as a contrast between two worlds. Firstly, you've got the denial and the dehumanisation of the Israeli mindset. You've then opposed that to the daily struggles of the Palestinians trying to grieve, survive, and simply take things day by day.
One striking scene I discovered was when one of the Israelis, Yuval, claimed to your interviewer that he “doesn't get it”. He believed that Israelis have a different and much higher “human essence” than Palestinians. You then immediately cut that scene to the rampant devastation, death, and then struggle of two young women in Gaza who have lost most of their family. What would you say was your intention behind this filming approach?
Mhammad Babai: I want to mention that my partner in this film project is David Wachsmann, who is also the director. We collaborate and think together. I think that one of the main things that David and I did is we didn’t choose to interview any religious extremists, or anyone for simply being Jewish. We chose instead to talk to what's called the ‘liberal left’ or ‘centre’ people from the political map–generally people that are more liberal.
David was in the studio during the interview, while I was outside. I didn't get to interact with them because we wanted them to feel comfortable to talk. I remember when I downloaded the materials, especially the audio—you never get used to all the things that Israelis say about Palestinians. David wanted to both contradict, prove, and tell the audience that when the Israelis talk about the Palestinians, particularly as if they’re not even human beings, we then cut and go to those very Palestinians.
We see girls. We see families. We see daughters. We see sisters, mothers, fathers. We prove that we didn't have to bring any Palestinian human rights organisation to talk—you know the characters speak for themselves. The footage says enough to show the people or make people decide by themselves. I let the viewer judge.
You spend a lot of time in the film with the Israeli interviews, and many of the things that they say are shocking. The Holocaust teacher, for instance, weaponises history by saying that a second, or even a third Nakba is not only plausible, but justified. This is followed by another participant Lya, who says that she doesn't even want to find compassion for the other side. Do you believe that these beliefs and mindsets can be undone or challenged?
MB: You need to understand that the demonisation of Palestinians, or the perspective about Palestinians as inferior was always like that. It is in the educational system, and in the Israeli society. It existed before October 7th, 2023. You know, after that day, it just highlighted it. They can say to the camera, to the radio, or even in public to kill, to eliminate, to kick out, to displace people. It's seen as okay. It's very common. So, for me, it’s not that I was surprised, but you never get used to it. Especially when they’re talking about you, about your people.
I have family in Gaza, I have friends in Gaza, I have family in the West Bank. That same guy who talked about a second Nakba, I remember when he came to the interview, I bought him a coffee for waiting. That was the worst money that I ever spent. Aya also lives in Jaffa, not far from my auntie's house. Most of the neighbours there are Palestinians. To think she still thinks like that about them.
Was it difficult to get the Israelis to agree to do the interview? What were they told prior?
MB: No, it wasn't difficult, but it took time because we needed the right people, and people not from the right wing. We didn't want individuals that we expected to know what they're going to say. They were told that we're going to make a film about October 7th and that we're going to also film in Gaza.
We always say everything to our interviewees. Of course it's a documentary, so they don't know how the final product is going to end, but we never lie. They knew everything before they came to the interview, and they agreed because they truly believe in what they think, what they feel, and what they say.
The name of the film is an obvious link to the Former Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, who described the people of Gaza as human animals. What would you say was your intention behind using that sort of language for the title?
MB: When David and I discussed this film, it also reminded us of Jonathan Glazer’s film The Zone of Interest. I remember when Yoav Gallant said it live on TV. I remember his face. I told David, listen, we have a name for this project, it's Human Animals. When we talked to our colleague in Japan, it was obvious that this is the name of the project because this is how they refer to us—most of Israeli society, not only the politicians.
You were also able to capture the souls of these people living amongst the utmost of hardships. How were you able to capture this footage inside Gaza?
MB: Well, we have a team in Gaza. As you know, nobody can get into Gaza. One of our team members is a camera woman and wedding photographer named Dina. In some of the communities in Gaza, they are more or less conservative, so Dina gave us deeper access to the characters. It was more comfortable for the girls to talk in their house to women rather than a man.
The scenes where the Israelis are handed testimony and then offered video footage was quite harrowing to watch, including Yuval smiling as he watches the footage of Gaza. Some of the participants even refused to look at the video footage. Was that the testimony from the young woman on the film’s poster, Zamzam?
MB: Yes, the testimony is from Zamzam, and they knew that. We told them even before we handed them the paper. Imagine at her age now, being born in the early 2000s, all she remembers are wars. She survived 8 of them. For a childhood in Gaza, it's all war, war and another war. All of the Israeli participants read her testimony, but only some of them watched the footage. Yuval’s smile I will never forget.
We are recording this interview on the unceded traditional lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. Watching this film made me reflect on my own country's inability to acknowledge its own history and Indigenous peoples. Do you believe that not only action, but education is key to decolonising these ideas?
MB: Of course, it's all about education. You know that in Israeli society, they educate everyone to go to the army since kindergarten. They educate them that they need to fight the Arabs. They don't say Palestinian. Palestinians don’t exist. The whole perspective of the Zionist ideology is rooted in the Israeli state, so the fact that they call it a Jewish nation means a lot. One of my kids went to school and he said, "I'm from Palestine.” The teacher said, "No, there's no Palestine. It’s Israel.” Even here in Australia, some of the teachers don't know or want to recognise Palestine.
Education is a big part, as is knowledge. What happened in Australia’s colonial history is now happening in Palestine. I know, personally, people who died in Gaza because they didn't have enough medical treatment. Israel controls everything. Water, electricity, equipment, even before October 7th. This is the time for people to take action, and not to wait until 3% or 4% of Palestinians remain in Palestine.
The global perspective on Israel is shifting. A lot more people are aware of the inhumanity, the war crimes, and the apartheid that exists. Even recently, the UK has sanctioned the West Bank for its unlawful expansion and has accused the settlers of carrying out ethnic cleansing. Despite this, the ceasefire has been broken countless times. There is still rapid death. Do you see hope for the future?
MB: I'm Palestinian. We always have hope. We never lose hope, never. With all what's happening, it's very sad that we needed more than 70,000 people killed to talk about a shifting across the world. It’s not like I believe every politician when he talks about sanctioning either because we look at actions and not words. The last thing that I want to trust is the Western government to promise anything for the Palestinians. After all, the one who's responsible for our genocide, and our Nakba, it's the British. The same people who colonised this land, so we have something in common.
The people have the power to change and shift things, not the government. I'm happy about that. I have visited Australia for 10 years. I visit now and I see the change in the people. I'm happy to come to Melbourne and see Palestinian flags. See people talk about Palestine. See people walking the street with Keffiyehs. I think the thing that gives me the most hope in my life is the people of Gaza. People that I'm in contact with, people that I know personally.
This reminds me of the inspiring Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda. Palestinians are deeply resilient people, aren’t they?
MB: Yes, Bisan. I understand what you're saying because I have the same experience with Dina, our camera woman. I remember she was sitting in her room one night, no light except the light of her phone. There was a bombing nearby, and her screen became red on the phone to me. She cried, but then she says, “I'm tired, but the same time, (as she wipes away her tears) you know what, I'll be fine. One day you will hear my name worldwide… I'm going to have a very good life.”
You know, a week after that she was displaced and her house was demolished. She moved to a tent, and through all that, she stayed positive. Then there’s me sitting in my house, 100 meters from the sea, in Jaffa, quiet, much safer than her. I try to understand how she does that. How can she talk about a better future when she can be killed any moment? This is why I think she represents the people of Gaza: resilient people who never give up the fight. We've been fighting more than 80 years for our freedom, and we will gain it. I have no doubt.
What's your relationship with David Wachsmann like? Is it complicated given he is Israeli?
MB: Well, David is also a friend. We met seven years ago. His father is a feature director, and we met on his set. He came to me during the shooting with an idea to make a documentary about Palestinian kids being arrested (Two Kids a Day). After some direct questions about his politics and intentions, I told him if I'm going to do this project, I have two conditions.
First, we never compare this as symmetrical between the occupier and the victim. The second condition is that after each screening; we do a Q&A because I want to speak out. This is my way to speak out for my people. Once I trusted him, that's how we became friends. Since then, he’s been my partner. We do all our projects together.
Your collaboration with David sends a strong message that solidarity can exist, can't it?
MB: Yeah, a solidarity of resistance and not a solidarity of coexistence. When many people see David and I, they think, "Ah, it's very cute, an Israeli and Palestinian. Let's talk about food and peace”. No, we don't talk about peace. We don't talk about food or coexistence. The only thing that we talk about is resistance and how we speak out for justice for the Palestinian people. Him as an Israeli Jew and me as a Palestinian, and it's very important. We never talk about those things because we fight for our rights. When you have rights and you have freedom, then we can talk about peace, and not the opposite.
October 7th wasn’t day one in this conflict, was it?
MB: Absolutely. What we do need to do is look at the whole picture. It didn't start on October 7th. It started the day when the Balfour declaration was written, or the declaration of the Israeli state by Ben-Gurion. Given October 7 happened, imagine how many October 7ths have happened to the Palestinian people in Gaza before and after that date. Gaza has been under siege since 2007. If I want to talk about 1948, about my city, where I come from, about the land of my grandparents, about the people of Jaffa that were killed and expelled, about the people of Haifa and Acre and people’s villages that were destroyed—let's talk about that as the starting point.
This is the denial of most Israeli society because their history started when God promised them the land. Because apparently God is a real estate agent. Then somehow nothing happened. There is the Holocaust. Then 1948, and then October 7th. In between this timeline, to them, nothing happened. There's no people there. It was empty. There's a gap for them. One of the characters in the film, he talks about that very mindset.
As of recording this in September 2026, we're now over 1000 days into the current ongoing genocide. 73,000 casualties, including more than 21,000 children. A so-called war waged on a people that has a population of nearly 50% children.
What do you want your film to achieve?
MB: I think that now I want this film to reach people and make people think. I want everybody to take responsibility and think about what we can do to help stop the genocide, and to be more involved of what governments do. After all, part of the weapons which the Israeli army use has come from Australia. I heard about many demonstrations in front of weapons factories, and of course, they’re all backed by the Australian government.
I think that people should look within themselves for what they can do to prevent all this, because I do believe in individual action. After all, it's many people together. The people have the power to change things, and I do want people to take part and take responsibility for what's happening.