'Fauda's' fifth season has sparked intense global reactions for its portrayal of the October 7 massacre. Episodes focusing on the Hamas-led attack drew high IMDb ratings, entered Netflix's top 10, and prompted discussions about the event's horror.
The fifth season of 'Fauda', the hit action thriller series following Israeli undercover operatives, has sparked intense international reactions after dedicating several episodes to the October 7 massacre, with episodes 7 and 8 focusing specifically on the Hamas-led attack, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The two episodes have drawn strong responses from viewers and social media users, with both receiving a 9.3 rating on IMDb. Within a day of its release on Netflix, the series had also entered the platform's 10 most-watched shows in 43 countries, ranking seventh globally, according to the report.
International Viewers in Shock Over 'Gut-Punch' Episodes
The episodes have prompted discussions among viewers in countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, India, the UK and the US, with many describing the portrayal as disturbing. Others said it offered a deeper understanding of the events of October 7.
A Deeper Understanding for Some, 'Total Shock' for Others
Israeli social media influencer Lee Malach wrote, “My entire feed is filled with tweets from Dutch and German people; I have no idea why, about the October 7 episodes of ‘Fauda.’ They are in total shock over what happened here, and the posts are difficult to read and very supportive of Israel. It is crazy to me how little these people know about what happened here and how much they talk about the subject,” as per the outlet.
'Right Inside the Horror': A Brazilian Perspective
Brazilian cartoonist Luciano Pires wrote, “I watched the 5th season of Fauda, the Israeli series on Netflix. It’s always been an uncomfortable show. Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, both former members of Israeli units, it follows undercover agents in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, almost always avoiding the easy divide between good guys and bad guys. But the fifth season is a gut punch. Episodes 7 and 8 recreate the October 7, 2023 massacre, and that makes it hard to watch as just fiction. I think everyone saw dozens of real images from the attacks, many filmed by the terrorists themselves, which were already shocking enough. But this time, the fiction puts us right inside the horror.”
Pires also reflected on what filming the scenes may have meant for the show’s Israeli cast and crew. He continued: “I was genuinely shaken, not just from watching the massacre through the victims’ eyes, but imagining the Israeli actors, many of them Jewish. The photo illustrating this post is of actor Yaakov Zada-Daniel, who plays agent Eli, in the moment he enters his home in a kibbutz attacked by Hamas terrorists. It’s breathtaking. He wasn’t acting out a distant tragedy. He was rebuilding something in front of the cameras that struck his country, his families, his friends, and the show’s own crew. Idan Amedi, an actor from Fauda, was seriously injured while fighting in Gaza. Matan Meir, a production member, died in the war.”
Pires concluded: “Maybe that’s why these episodes have a different texture. They don’t feel like an attempt to imagine the horror. They carry us right into it.”
Global Audience Describes 'Unforgettable' and 'Disturbing' Portrayal
The episodes also prompted strong reactions from viewers in Italy. One man wrote: “I could barely keep my eyes open.” Another woman wrote, “Yesterday, a friend called me and told me the same thing. She added, ‘Who knows, perhaps this series will help people understand the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7.’ And I replied, ‘I’m afraid it won’t.’ P.S. My friend is neither Jewish nor Israeli, but she is free and knows how to use her own mind,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
Some users also shared real footage of the massacre in southern Israel in their replies. An influencer from India wrote, “Sleepless nights. Can someone please erase my memory of this episode?? I can’t stop thinking and worrying. Episode eight of ‘Fauda’ really disturbed me. I don’t understand how there are still Hamas supporters among us. God, please help me get over this series.” Another user responded: “I am a huge fan of ‘Fauda’ and of Israel, but I don’t have the courage to watch the fifth season,” as per the outlet.
A different user from India argued that the series had shown only a small portion of the violence committed during the attack. The user wrote, “Contrary to claims that the fifth season of ‘Fauda’ went too far, I think it is remarkably restrained. The series offers only a small glimpse into the atrocities of October 7. The reality was far more disturbing: murder, abductions, sexual violence, brutal abuse, torture, and the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians." The user continued, “No film or television series can truly recreate the horror of such a pogrom. ‘Fauda’ is a fictional work, but it draws inspiration from real events. October 7 was not a fictional story; it was a real tragedy, and the victims deserve to be remembered as events truly occurred,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
A woman from the UK responded, “I just finished watching episodes 7 and 8. This will stay with me forever. What Israelis went through... and the world simply does not care.”
A social media user from Texas asked his followers whether they had watched the season and what they thought of it. Responses included, “Well made, but heartbreaking. Not for the faint of heart,” and “Episodes 7 and 8 are simply unforgettable.” He concluded, “It seems that episodes 7 and 8 of ‘Fauda’ moved everyone; it looks like a phenomenal season, as usual,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
'Fauda' Season 5: Rewritten in the Wake of Tragedy
Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, Fauda sees Raz reprise his role as Doron Kavillio. Returning cast members include Itzik Cohen as Captain Ayub, Doron Ben-David as Steve and Yaakov Zada Daniel as Eli. New additions to the cast include Melanie Laurent and Hakim Djaziri. Season 5 consists of 11 episodes and is set two years after the October 7, 2023 attacks.
The new chapter follows Doron as he struggles with PTSD before becoming involved in an unsanctioned revenge mission by an old friend. The mission draws him into a deep-cover operation in Marseille, France. As per Deadline, the season has also undergone a major creative overhaul. Following the October 7 attacks, creators Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff scrapped their original scripts and rewrote the season, placing greater emphasis on trauma, war and the continuing cycle of revenge.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)