Israeli actor Lior Raz, whose hit series 'Fauda' eerily predicted aspects of Hamas' hostage-taking tactics, has revealed that the show's upcoming season will tackle the aftermath of October 7 - albeit with a significant time jump.
"The script refers to October 7 and it's very present there, but the plot takes place about two years after October 7," Raz disclosed in a wide-ranging interview. While he remained tight-lipped about specific plot details, the impact of the attacks will loom large over the new season.
The real-world parallels with 'Fauda' have become uncomfortably close. Before October 7, the show's writers had rejected a potential storyline about terrorists overtaking Israeli communities as "too fictitious." Raz recalls telling co-creator Avi Issacharoff about "a storyline involving terrorists taking over an entire community in Judea and Samaria, abduct Israelis, and Israel is negotiating a deal for their release." Issacharoff dismissed it as impossible.
The reality proved far more horrific. "October 7 was 300 times more than what we ever imagined," Raz reflected. "The cruelty and evil of Hamas terrorists were, and still are, a million times more than we could ever imagine... After infiltrating the communities, the terrorists stayed there all day long, while no one came for the resident's rescue, which is also inconceivable."
The show's impact has crossed unexpected borders. According to Raz, an Egyptian newspaper reported that he and Issacharoff "changed the perspective of young Arabs on young Israelis through 'Fauda.'" He sees this change firsthand: "There's a Lebanese guy on the set, a camera assistant, whose mother sent special Arab cookies to my home here in Canada because she loves 'Fauda.'"
In a poignant twist, released hostages told Raz they had thought about his character coming to rescue them during their captivity. The actor himself joined civilian rescue efforts in Sderot on October 8, helping evacuate families under rocket fire. "It was very scary," he admitted, "but compared to what the Israeli soldiers were going through in Gaza, it was zilch."
The show's new season promises a shift in how it portrays antagonists. While previous seasons demonstrated complexity in their depiction of Palestinian characters, Raz indicated that the October 7 attacks have influenced their approach: "In today's storyline we will no longer have empathy for Hamas."
Despite the ongoing conflict, international interest in Israeli content remains strong, with producers seeking to "make the Israeli voice heard through content." While some projects have been "stopped" or put on hold to "wait a few months," multiple productions remain in development.
The evolution of 'Fauda' from groundbreaking television to uncomfortable prophecy highlights the increasingly blurred lines between dramatic fiction and Middle Eastern reality. As the show prepares to confront its most challenging subject matter yet, it faces the task of depicting a tragedy that, as Raz puts it, "surpassed all imagination."
Ynet contributed to this article.
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