Israeli undercover commandos depicted in Fauda series operate deep behind enemy lines in Gaza and beyond

Following last month's daring Israeli rescue operation of four Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, former Israeli counter-terrorism operative Shir Peled discussed aspects of the IDF's risky undercover operations in Gaza in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Peled is one of the first women to have worked as an officer in Yamam, an elite special operations unit within the Israel Border Police. The unit specializes in undercover operations behind enemy lines in Gaza, as well as Judea and Samaria, known as the West Bank.

“Our job as undercover fighters is to always come up with new tactical methods to fight in and to blend in the fields,” Peled revealed. “It’s not enough to find the right vehicle. You need to disguise it so it will work out in this specific territory.”

From its inception in 1948, the modern State of Israel has often used covert operations as an important defensive tool against Arab-speaking nations that are hostile toward Israel.

“Mista’arvim,” or "Steeped in Arab culture," is an umbrella name for Israeli undercover special op units with fluent Arabic speakers who are trained to blend into Arab environments.

While these Israeli elite operatives are experts in using various weapons, their main weapon is their ability to disguise themselves, as it requires the ability to master various Arab dialects and have a deep understanding of Muslim Arab culture and customs.

The popular Israeli Netflix series “Fauda” introduced these specialized Israeli undercover units to a wide international audience. These units are used for specialized missions, such as rescuing hostages, penetrating terrorist cells or eliminating senior terrorists.

“If you want to find hostages or search for senior commanders of Hamas, you have to have people on the ground, and they can’t walk around with an Israeli flag,” according to a source with knowledge of Israeli undercover operations.

The Fauda series has been widely praised for its realism and nuance. This is likely linked to the fact that its creators, Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, both served in Israeli military undercover units. Most IDF undercover operations have traditionally been undertaken in Judea and Samaria, where Israel maintains a security presence. However, last month’s daring rescue operation of four Israeli hostages in Gaza required Israeli undercover forces to operate behind enemy lines during wartime.

“The new thing is that they do undercover operations during a war inside an enemy territory,” Issacharoff assessed. “This is what is so crazy,” he added.

In January, Issacharoff revealed that the upcoming fifth season of Fauda would highlight the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.