We first learned about it through a tweet. On July 1, “Fauda” co-creator Avi Issacharoff posted a photo from the set of the Israeli TV series, showing five young, smiling women who, not long ago, were in Hamas captivity. The caption: “We have the most special guests on the set of ‘Fauda’ today.”
יש לנו היום אורחות הכי מיוחדות והכי מרגשות בסט של פאודה היום ! We have the most special guests on the set of Fauda today! pic.twitter.com/i6ZikwyLWB
— avi issacharoff (@issacharoff) July 1, 2025
Those guests were Daniella Gilboa, Agam Berger, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag and Naama Levy—the five released Israeli hostages who were kidnapped from their base in Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023 and freed earlier this year in a prisoner exchange. This week, they paid a visit to the “Fauda” set, where filming is underway for the series’ fifth season.
A visit that hit home for the cast
Lior Raz, the show’s co-creator and star, called it “a moving visit from heroes who returned from hell.” He met the women shortly after their release and said the entire crew was deeply affected by their presence. “We cannot forget the rest of the hostages who remain in Gaza,” he added in an interview with Ynet.co. “We have to do everything we can to free them.”
The visit wasn’t announced in advance. No press event. No interviews. Just a quiet, powerful moment captured on social media and amplified by fans who’ve followed both the show and the real-life stories behind the headlines.
“Fauda” pivots post-Oct. 7
The upcoming season of “Fauda” is being reimagined in light of the attacks on Oct. 7. Production is underway at locations across Israel, including near the Gaza border—an editorial choice that’s drawn both support and criticism. Creators say they gave residents advance notice and hope the season will help spotlight the realities of that day for global audiences.
The show, which follows an elite Israeli undercover unit, has always blurred the line between fiction and current events. But now, that overlap feels more real. Just knowing that survivors of Hamas captivity were on set adds a layer of reality that can’t be ignored.
What’s next for the “Fauda” team
Season five is expected to air in Israel in early 2026 and hit Netflix shortly after. In the meantime, Raz and actress Jewish French actress Rotem Sela will debut a very different project: a reality travel series called “Off Road,” which follows the two friends on a jeep trip across Asia.
But for now, “Fauda” remains front and center—and so do the stories of those still waiting to come home.