A longtime crewmember of the hit Israeli TV show Fauda, Master Sgt. (res.) Matan Meir, was killed in action in Gaza last week, the series’ production company has confirmed.
The 38-year-old Fauda production team member was called up for the reserves after Israel declared war on Hamas following a brutal attack on October 7, which left nearly 1,400 people dead.
Meir, 38, was killed on November 11 along with four other soldiers in the Beit Hanoun area of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave. The 697th Battalion soldiers were reportedly killed in a blast after discovering a tunnel shaft near a mosque, which was booby-trapped.
In an official statement, the show’s production called Meir’s loss “devastating.”
We are devastated to share that one of our Fauda family members, Matan Meir, was killed in action in Gaza. Matan was an integral crew member. The cast and crew are heartbroken by this tragic loss. We extend our condolences to Matan’s family and friends. May his soul rest in peace pic.twitter.com/kuaJ2gclGk
— Fauda Official (@FaudaOfficial) November 11, 2023
“Matan was an integral crewmember. The cast and crew are heartbroken by this tragic loss. We extend our condolences to Matan’s family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.”
Fauda co-creator Lior Raz told the media that Meir “had a heart of gold.”
The show’s main producer, Liat Benasuly, called him “a man with a different soul, who entered everyone’s heart. A man with a real joy in life. We will miss him very much.”
The four other soldiers killed in the accident were: Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, 39; Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, 44; Master Sgt. (res.) Sergey Shmerkin, 32; and Master Sgt. (res.) Netanel (Nati) Harush, 34.
At the start of the war, a host of Fauda stars were called up for reserve duty along with hundreds of thousands of other Israelis.
Among the actors who showed up were Tzachi Halevi, Idan Amedi, Tomer Capone and Yaakov Zada Daniel.
In addition, the show’s co-creators Lior Raz, Avi Issacharoff and Yohanan Plesner all joined thousands of soldiers as volunteers for Brothers in Arms, an alliance of reservists originally formed to protest the government’s judicial reform plan.
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