War between Israel and Hamas: ‘Fauda’ producer Matan Meir ‘killed in action’ during IDF’s Gaza offensive
Matan Meir, a TV producer for the Fauda web series, was killed after falling into a booby-trapped tunnel shaft in Gaza. He served the Israeli Defense Forces’ 697th Battalion of the 551st Brigade.
Israel Hamas War Update: A television producer of the critically acclaimed Netflix spy thriller “Fauda” has been “killed in action” in the Gaza Strip as the bloody conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas rages on in the battered enclave.
38-year-old Matan Meir, who served as a major (res.) in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), along with four other colleagues, was killed when they stepped into a booby-trapped tunnel shaft located next to a mosque in the Beit Hanoun area in Gaza on Friday.
IDF announced the names of five soldiers killed in northern Israel while defending Israel:
Major (res.) Matan Meir, 38 years old, a fighter in the 697th Battalion, 551st Brigade.
Major (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, 39 years old, MP Brigade 697, Brigade 551, served as platoon… pic.twitter.com/j1T0qCzzGG
— Inbar Cohen (@InbarCohen13) November 11, 2023
Meir served in the 697th Battalion of the Israeli Reserve Forces of the 551st Brigade.
Meir, from Odem in the Golan Heights, was best known for his work on the award-winning Israeli television show Fauda, the third season of which was set in the Gaza Strip.
“We are absolutely devastated to share that one of our own Fauda family members, Matan Meir, has been killed in action in Gaza,” said a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) from Fauda Official late Saturday.
Our hearts are heavy as we announce the loss of @FaudaOfficial crew member Matan Meir, who was killed while on duty in Gaza. 💔
Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace. 🕯️ pic.twitter.com/Bid9qM0XLU
— Creative Community for Peace (@CCFPeace) November 12, 2023
“Matan was an integral part of the crew throughout all four seasons of Fauda. The entire cast and crew are heartbroken by this tragic loss. We would like to express our condolences to Matan’s family and friends. May his soul rest in peace,” it continued.
Speaking to Israeli web portal Ynet, Fauda star Lior Raz praised Meir as a “man with a heart of gold.”
‘I loved you, Matan. You were always there for me, at every moment, you just wanted to help and be there for others,” Raz said.
Matan Meir served in the 697th Battalion of the 551st Brigade. Four soldiers from the battalion, including Meir, were killed in the incident on November 10.
‘Fauda’ – which became a hit on Netflix, has been criticized by some viewers for ‘whitewashing’ the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
War between Israel and Hamas
Meanwhile, Israel has stepped up its ground offensive, along with airstrikes, in retaliation for Hamas’s initial unprecedented attack on the country’s southern areas on October 7. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected growing international calls for a ceasefire unless it includes the release of all civilians. the nearly 240 hostages that Hamas has captured.
On the Israeli side, at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Hamas’s first attack on October 7. Forty-six Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, two-thirds of them women and minors. No distinction is made between civilian and militant deaths.
(With PTI inputs)