The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation 'Kan' marks 50 years since the Yom Kippur War with unique content across all units that will be aired in the coming weeks. The corporation will broadcast series such as the drama series "Hamezach" about the Mezach outpost in the Suez Canal; the documentary series "HaAchat" about Squadron 201 during the war; "Dokotayim" in a special project commemorating five decades since the war, and new podcasts that will be released soon.
In the series lineup, two series focusing on the war will soon be aired. "HaAchat," directed by Gilad Toktali, will bring the story of Squadron 201, the combat squadron that suffered the heaviest losses during the war. Despite the significant losses, the squadron completed 758 sorties and became known as the "Phantoms Squadron" for successfully shooting down the highest number of enemy planes in the war.
Another series that will be aired is "HaMezach," directed by Lior Hefetz, which will be based on the story of the "Mezach" outpost in the Suez Canal. After a surprise attack by the Egyptians, the outpost is left isolated and cut off, mainly surrounded by Egyptian forces. The series depicts the developing conflict between the outpost commander, who is ready to fight to the last bullet, and the outpost's medic, who pushes for surrender to the Egyptians in order to save the lives of the wounded he tends to.
The outpost was meticulously reconstructed for the needs of the series' filming, based on extensive historical research. Additionally, journalist Oren Aharoni will accompany the series with a podcast, in which the creators, actors, and real heroes of "HaMezach" will discuss what truly transpired there. The production story and the extraordinary historical investigation behind the scenes will also be presented.
As of yet unseen archival materials
"Kan Archive" and "Kan BOX" will provide articles from the days of the war, which were covered by teams of the broadcasting authority, including previously unseen materials to the general public. During the war, teams from Israeli television and Kol Israel were mobilized to cover the frontlines of the conflict and transmitted hundreds of hours of edited material and raw footage.
During the coverage work, two employees of the broadcasting authority fell: Ofer Hershkovitz, may he rest in peace, a voice of the television, who fell on the second day of the war near El Arish, and Rafi Ungar, may he rest in peace, a Kol Israel correspondent who fell on the eighth day of the battles at the Gidi Pass in Sinai.
In the news, Oren Aharoni will present a series of articles based on the archives of Israeli television and Kol Israel. Raw materials, most of which were not broadcast and were colorized using artificial intelligence, include stories of prisoners of war during the war, the battles in Sinai, the crossing of the Suez Canal, voices from the besieged fortresses, performances of artists on the frontlines, and life on the home front.
On the radio, Roni Cuban and Yoav Krakovsky will present a four-part program on "Kan Reshet Bet," each focusing on a different angle of the war and its aftermath: the course of the conflict, the post-trauma of the fighters, testimonies, and archival clips.
From the sea, the air and the land
In addition, various projects will be uploaded on digital platforms and social networks, such as "Yom Kippur Minutes." In this project, Itay Asher will bring the stories of three heroes of the war, fighting in the sea, air and on land – Avraham Almog, who fought in the "the Chinese farm" as the 184th Battalion commander, Giora Even Epshtein, a pilot and top scorer of the Air Force's aircraft destruction, and Danny Eytan, a naval flotilla 13 commando. The series will combine new documentary material with archival footage alongside visual artificial intelligence.
Orit Navon will have conversations with women who have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the war in the framework of "Monologues from the Front."
In addition, "Kan" operates the Facebook group "Kan Marks 50 Years to the Yom Kippur War" and brings together all the content dealing with the war from all the divisions and departments of Kan, allowing users to share personal stories, pictures, challenges, and memories.
