Gazan actor in Hamas-produced series preluding Oct. 7 massacre dies in Israeli airstrike

Palestinian outlets reported that Rashad Abu Sakhilah, star of the series Fist of the Free who played a Hamas leader invading Israeli outposts in the Gaza Envelope, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabalya today.

The series Qabadat Al-Ahrar (Fist of the Free or Freemen Fist) was produced by Hamas’s Department of Artistic Production and Youth Office and was seen by many as a sort of prelude or teaser to the October 7th massacre, as it revolved around a successful plan of Hamas’s militia to infiltrate Israeli posts and towns in the Gaza envelope and murder and kidnap Israelis. The program was aired on Hamas’s outlet “Al-Aqsa” during Ramadan of 2022, only one year ahead of the time in which Hamas initially intended to carry out the massacre, according to different reports.

Fist of the Free was acclaimed by none other than Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar himself. In an event dedicated to the launch of the series back in 2022, Sinwar said about the show:

“This work is inseparable from our ‘large setup’; from the work of our brothers in the Al-Qassam Brigades, from their manufacturing workshops, from their intelligence, and from their various fields of work. This is a great work, and it is a foundation of the project of liberation and return. This series in particular has a great impact on the awareness and psyche of our people and our nation... In the name of the movement’s leadership and in the name of our people and our nation, we offer our great thanks and appreciation to you for this wonderful work and this creative performance. You were truly beyond imagination.”

The celebration also featured participation from the Department of Artistic Production of the Hamas Movement, whose delegates expressed their pride in the fact that “Hamas has an army of artists” who “have a clear vision about the actions of resistance.”

On October 4, 2023, a mere three days before the massacre, the creators of the Hamas-certified series held a press conference revealing the filming of a second season meant to be released on Ramadan of 2024, and which was meant to focus on terrorist activity in the West Bank, as documented by Hamas’s Shehab agency. The conference also featured greetings from Hamas leaders, who said: “Praise to Allah, we raised the words of the prophet – ‘We will invade them, and they will not invade us.’”

Sakhila was a supporter of the Islamic Republic and proxies

Abu Sakhila himself was an avid supporter of Hamas and its allies Iran and the Houthis. For this reason, while many mourned his death and quoted some of his pep talks in the series, others pointed to some of his tweets that commended the Islamic Republic.

One user named Maha posted a screenshot of Abu Sakhila where he commented “May Allah Bless Iran’s hands,” adding: “Question: Did you find what your Lord promised to be true for everyone who deviated from the straight path? Are you certain of who they are right now? Did your drumming for Iran, the primary enemy of the Islamic nation, and those who revolve around it and orbit around it, benefit you?”