'Red Alert': Keshet to make series on Oct. 7 massacre

A five-part series titled "Red Alert" is being developed about the Hamas terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. This project is a collaboration between the Israeli television channel Keshet 12 and the global content distributor Keshet International.

They have partnered with acclaimed producer Lawrence Bender, known for his work on "Pulp Fiction" and "Inglourious Basterds," along with the Israeli company Green Productions, recognized for projects like "Golda" and "Cinema Sabaya." Together, they aim to bring this significant story to life.

Other funding partners include the Jewish National Fund USA, the Israel Entertainment Fund, and Jordana Reuben Yechiel. 

More than 1,200 people were murdered on that day in the Gaza border region, and about 250 were taken hostage, 101 of whom are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. 

Red Alert is the term for a warning when missiles are fired, and the attack began that day with a heavy barrage of missiles that blanketed the area. The series will focus on five people who found themselves fighting for their lives against a heavily armed enemy – a fight they never anticipated – and will tell stories of their tragedy and heroism.

Red Alert, which will be filmed in spring 2025, is being created, written, and directed by Lior Chefetz, who made the Yom Kippur War drama The Stronghold, which was both a movie and a television series. It will be co-created by Ruth Efroni and co-written by Kineret Peled and Idan Hubel. The dialogue will be in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, and the series is tentatively set to premiere on the second anniversary of the attack in October 2025.

'An intense emotional journey'

Karni Ziv, the head of drama and comedy for Keshet 12, said, “For a while, there seemed to be no reasonable dramatic approach to retell such a profound event. We needed time and perspective to find the right project and the right creative partners to help us tell this story in the right way. In Red Alert, the human drama transcends the war, which sometimes serves as background and sometimes as the story itself, to deliver a message of hope and solidarity.”

Bender, whose company is Bender Brown Productions and whose films have been nominated for 36 Oscars and won nine, said, “Red Alert will embark on an intense and emotional journey that explores the indomitable human spirit. This international action drama will showcase the unwavering resolve of real people who confront unimaginable challenges to create a compelling viewing experience.”