Fictional Hamas TV Drama Depicts Fighters as Victors Against Israel

Shiryn Ghermezian

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Palestinian police officers loyal to Hamas march during a graduation ceremony in Gaza City, April 29, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

A new television series produced by Hamas that will debut during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan portrays the terrorist group as heroes and victors in their fight against Israel.

“Fist of the Free,” a 30-episode series, is inspired by a real-life Israeli raid that took place in the Gaza Strip in 2018. A group of Israeli undercover agents disguised as Palestinian aid workers raised suspicions in a town near the Israel-Gaza border and, when exposed, participated in a gun battle that left seven Hamas operatives and an Israeli commander dead.

Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, is shown as outsmarting the Israelis in the show when, in reality, the Israel undercover unit was able to successfully evacuate 16 undercover agents, The Associated Press reported.

The show will air on Hamas-run television in April. The terrorist organization is offering broadcasting rights for free to channels in Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, and Turkey.

Sadi al-Attar, the show’s assistant director, told the AP that “Fist of the Free” is a response to “Zionist aggression” and explained, “The idea of our films and series centers on our struggle with the enemy.”

While he admitted to watching a few scenes of “Fauda,” the Netflix hit series about an Israeli undercover unit that tracks down Palestinian terrorists, he accused it of “lying and misleading,” and insisted that the Hamas production was not created as a direct response.

The producers behind “Fist of the Free” would not take a meeting with Netflix even if they were offered one, he claimed, because the streaming service “is biased toward the occupation.”

Mohammed Soraya, director of Hamas’ artistic production unit, said in January that the series “seeks to show the Palestinian viewpoint, the Palestinian resistance and the fighting spirit that resists the occupation. This is a drama series that represents our people.”

Al-Attar maintained that the Hamas production was funded by donations. All overhead shots were taken by drone or by a cameraman sitting on another man’s shoulders, fake explosives were detonated by camera batteries, and the filming took place at a Hamas military base.

The cast members are all locals, including Zohair al-Bebisi, 64, who has never been to Israel and took on his first role as an Israeli intelligence officer who goes to Gaza to recover equipment taken by Hamas.

Hamas has produced seven series and a number movies based on its conflict with Israel, most of which have aired on its Al-Aqsa television network during Ramadan.

Watch the trailer for “Fist of the Free” below.

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