Hamas seems to push its personal narrative with new sequence to rival ‘Fauda’

RAMALLAH, West Financial institution — The Gaza Strip can be on the Arab drama scene throughout Ramadan this 12 months within the Hamas-backed “Qabdat al-Ahrar” (“Fist of the Free”) sequence, which can air on greater than 15 Palestinian and Arab satellite tv for pc channels in April and Could.

The 30-episode sequence starring a gaggle of actors from the Gaza Strip has been within the works for round a 12 months. Every episode lasts 40 minutes and goals to spotlight the Palestinian narrative versus the Israeli one and present the intelligence battle between the resistance factions within the Gaza Strip and Israel.

The sequence portrays the intelligence and informational experience of the resistance, which outdoes the schemes of the Israeli safety equipment by highlighting a serious intelligence occasion — particularly, the infiltration of an Israeli cell despatched to the Gaza Strip to abduct a outstanding resistance chief, Saadi al-Attar, government producer of the sequence, advised Al-Monitor.

“The Israeli cell efficiently abducts the chief, but it surely fails to depart the Gaza Strip after being uncovered by the resistance. The latter then pursues the cell, eliminates it and liberates the kidnapped individual. This is likely one of the plots within the sequence exhibiting the thoughts battle between the resistance and Israel and the resistance’s superior experience in intelligence and army plans via a number of real-life examples,” Attar stated.

He added, “The primary plots additionally embrace the Israeli safety providers’ try to forestall the entry of superior know-how and weapons into Gaza. Regardless of its makes an attempt, the resistance manages via its intelligence work to get these weapons and makes use of them in one of many confrontations that permits the resistance to wage an enormous army assault.”

The primary plot of the sequence — particularly, the infiltration of the Israeli cell into Gaza — seems to be impressed by the failure of the Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israeli Army Intelligence Directorate to plant superior spying gadgets on Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ (Hamas’ army wing) communications community on Nov. 11, 2018. 

The operation again then was uncovered, and the unit clashed with al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters in Khan Yunis. Al-Qassam Brigades chief Nour Baraka and 7 others have been killed along with an Israeli officer. Al-Qassam Brigades then introduced that it had taken management of vital info from the Israeli unit. 

In a recent interview with the digital newspaper Maariv on Jan. 22, former Chief of Workers of the Israeli Protection Forces Gadi Eisenkot described the operation in Gaza as his “largest failure” throughout his tenure.

The pinnacle of Hamas’ creative manufacturing division, Muhammad al-Thuraya, advised Al-Monitor that the story of the sequence is predicated on true occasions that passed off within the Gaza Strip, together with — for instance — the failed Sayeret Matkal operation in Khan Yunis. 

The aim of the sequence is to spotlight the Palestinian narrative and refute the Israeli one, whether or not within the media or in creative productions supported by Israel, like “Fauda,” he added.

Thuraya continued, “The brand new sequence is a continuation of a sequence of drama productions over the previous decade that depict the Palestinian actuality, akin to “The Spirit,” “The Gate of Heaven” and “Fedaei.”

He added that the sequence “displays the resilience of the [people] of Gaza and their help for the resistance in time of battle, Palestinian cyber capacities to hack Israeli computer systems, prisoners’ casefiles and the way the resistance offers with Israeli troopers in accordance with Islamic Sharia, versus how Israel treats Palestinian prisoners in its jails.”

Thuraya stated the sequence was filmed solely within the Gaza Strip and stars a group of native actors. Many volunteers from exterior Palestine contributed to its manufacturing. The sequence is scheduled to air throughout the holy month of Ramadan on greater than 15 Palestinian and Arab satellite tv for pc channels akin to Al-Manar, Yarmouk, Palestine Right this moment, Mekmelin and the Algerian Echourouk, he added.

“The sequence can even be obtainable to any TV channel that needs to point out it, with none monetary compensation. We provide our productions to satellite tv for pc channels with none return,” Thuraya stated. “The viewers following the sequence will attain the conclusion that the resistance within the Gaza Strip is helpful and vital, via the data introduced, and they’ll understand its capability to attain victories.”

Thuraya stated the manufacturing doesn’t present the army wings of the factions; quite, it focuses on the resistance as a single Palestinian entity.

In view of the situations that the Gaza Strip is experiencing because of the siege imposed on it since 2006 that has lengthy prevented the introduction of contemporary cameras and crucial tools, the manufacturing of this work was carried out with quite simple digital camera instruments, and it was one of many challenges dealing with the group.

“All scenes have been filmed in Gaza with easy instruments in mild of the difficulties in acquiring photographic instruments and tools crucial for creative manufacturing,” Thuraya stated. “The challenges included the pushback from social media for the drama productions,” which typically hinders their promotion.

He stated that YouTube just lately deleted a particular channel for the sequence “Bab Al-Samaa” after the variety of views reached 30 million.

Attar stated that cinema and drama in Gaza want superior tools to evolve, however sadly Israel prevents any tools from coming into Gaza. “There’s a scarcity of cameras, lenses, graphics and montage tools.”

In the meantime, the sequence additionally highlighted social life within the Gaza Strip, folks’s relationships with one another and daily life. Actor Camelia Abu Sammak  performs the function of a lady named Umm Tahseen who lives in one of many neighborhoods of the Gaza Strip. Tahseen spends her days watching the neighbors and stirring up hassle together with her “gossip” and “chatter.” The Israeli intelligence takes benefit of her talkative character to assemble details about the resistance. 

Abu Sammak advised Al-Monitor that the sequence “Qabdat Al-Ahrar” depicts the small print of life in Gaza regardless of the give attention to politics and resistance. Nonetheless, the opposite elements aren’t uncared for, as they’re a part of the work of politics and resistance, she stated, including that the sequence represents a big addition to drama productions in Gaza with the extent of the performance of the actors, the plot, the filming, the script and the data.