On Oct. 7, Arabs and the 'Fauda syndrome'

A surprise attack, a barrage of rockets, fire, blood, brave heroes, allegedly villainous fighters and innocent victims: The scene could come straight out of a Hollywood war movie. Except the action takes place on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel. Season 5 of the Israeli series "Fauda," streaming on Netflix since Sept. 8, depicts the assault launched from Gaza by Hamas fighters who committed a series of massacres meant to change the face of the region for decades, perhaps centuries, to come.Of course, it's fiction. Reality is woven into the romanticized stories of the characters — Hebrew-speaking Israeli special forces members who often infiltrate the West Bank or Gaza. But nearly everything depicted in the episode covering the Oct. 7 attack is factually accurate: the early morning incursion by air, the assault on the...