Third season of Israeli hit 'Fauda' ventures into Gaza Strip

The creators of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda," the action series that chronicles the adventures of undercover Israeli commando operatives in the Palestinian territories, are gearing up for their most ambitious mission yet: Gaza.

After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are in the thick of filming their much-anticipated third season, which centers on the Gaza Strip, where the show's lead character poses as a Palestinian boxing instructor to infiltrate the senior ranks of the Hamas militant group.

The Netflix release date hasn't been revealed, but the season trailer debuted this week.

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, actors are dressed up and wait for their scene on the set of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda," in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

Gaza, a crowded Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, is off limits for the Israeli creators. Although Gaza borders Israel, it's a world away — crippled by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized power from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007.

The blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent Hamas from arming, has crushed Gaza's economy and brought the territory to the brink of humanitarian disaster. For over a decade, Gaza's 2 million people have suffered from rising poverty and unemployment, undrinkable water and frequent electricity outages.

Israel has forbidden its citizens from entering the territory since withdrawing from Gaza in 2005. The following year, Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit was captured in a cross-border raid and held captive by Gaza militants for five years. Since the Hamas takeover, Israel has fought three full-blown wars and numerous bloody skirmishes with Palestinian militants.

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, one of the creators of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda" Lior Raz poses for a photo in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

"We cannot go to Gaza of course to shoot it, so this is why it's so challenging to find the right places that give the feeling that we're almost there," said Issacharoff, a veteran Arab affairs journalist. He added that the past decade of Israel's on-and-off wars with Gaza has made it a highly combustible subject for the Israeli public.

"It deals with one of the biggest fears of the Israeli audience, maybe because of Gilad Schalit's five years in prison over there, maybe because people don't know Gaza," he said. "We know that we're touching something very sensitive at the heart of the Israeli audience. And it's not going to be easy."

The series, which dramatizes the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict that many of its spectators live out every day, was never billed as escapism. It has won rave reviews for what many say is a realistic and nuanced look at life in the region.

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, an actor waits for his scene on the set of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda," in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

The show's new setting of Gaza appears to be a case of art imitating life. Just last fall, a covert Israeli operation in Gaza went awry, setting off a fierce battle that left eight Palestinians and an Israeli officer dead and triggered a brief but intense round of cross-border fighting.

"Many things that you would see in Fauda are in a kind of dialogue with reality. It's not 100% what happens in reality, but we were inspired by true stories, we were inspired by true characters and sometimes we invented characters and stories that we found later, in reality," said Issacharoff.

Besides shootouts and chases, the show delves into the personal lives and minds of the Israeli commandos and Palestinian militants, often depicting their motivations and family struggles in a sympathetic manner. For both Israeli and Palestinian spectators, it provides a glimpse, even if fleeting, into the human experiences on the other side of the separation barrier and the decades-old conflict.

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, co-creators of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda" Avi Issacharoff, left, and Lior Raz pose for a photo in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

"We're trying to bring the human side of them as characters, as family people, with kids, with love, with every challenge that we have as human beings," said co-creator and lead actor Raz.

The show doesn't have any Palestinian writers, according to a spokesman for the Yes satellite network, which, critics say, limits its capacity to truly explore both sides.

The Palestinian-led movement that promotes boycotts of Israel has asked Netflix to nix the series, calling it an "Israeli propaganda tool that glorifies the Israeli military's war crimes."

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, actors play their roles during a scene on the set of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda," in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

Bishara Halloun, an Arab citizen of Israel who studies at Hebrew University, said that although he devoured both seasons and has many Palestinian friends who enjoy the show, he felt a creeping sense of unease as the series progressed.

"You leave with the stereotypical image about Palestinians, and about Arabs in the Middle East, that with their bombs and guns, they're the antagonists," he said. "I felt a little offended. Even if the Israeli soldiers use brutal tactics, they're the show's heroes. If you're a local, you know the truth is somewhere in between."

Raz admits his inherited Israeli perspective brands Palestinians as "the enemy." Just because the show contains tender moments and grapples with thorny political issues, the creators say, doesn't mean it strives to deliver world peace.

In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, an actor waits for his scene on the set of Israel's hit TV show "Fauda," in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two successful seasons, co-creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are hard at work on their much-anticipated third season, a good portion of which takes place in the Gaza Strip. The season debut date for the Netflix hit hasn't been revealed, but the trailer is being released this week. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)

More than anything, it's a gritty thriller and a blockbuster hit, aimed especially this season at attracting an international audience.

"The show is just an attempt by us, by Lior and myself, to be a good show, to be a good drama," said Issacharoff. "I would say that none of us has the intentions of changing reality or bringing peace to this planet. Especially when we're dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it's kind of mission impossible."

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)