‘Fauda’ Sound Editor Killed in Israel Terrorist Attacks, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Says

“Our hearts are out to Lior [Waitzman’s] family and anyone else who may have lost somebody,” the streamer’s co-CEO tells the Bloomberg Screentime conference

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 10: Thousands attend a 'New York Stands With Israel' vigil and rally on October 10, 2023 in New York City. Around the country and world, supporters of Israel are attending gatherings to show support for Israel following last weekends attacks by Palestinian militants that has left hundreds of civilians dead and over a hundred hostages taken into Gaza. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, has confirmed that Lior Waitzman, a sound editor who worked on Netflix’s “Fauda” and Apple TV+’s “Tehran,” was killed in Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel this week.

Sarandos noted while speaking at the Bloomberg Screentime conference Thursday that many people in the room had likely lost “friends and family or friends of family” in the attack over the weekend.

“One of the victims of this terrorist attack, Lior Waitzman, was working on our first Netflix original series there called ‘Bros.’ He worked in the sound department,” Sarandos said. “On Saturday morning, he went out biking, stopped and texted his wife that there’s been a shooting and that was the last she heard from him. Because he was a victim of that terrorist attack.”

The Netflix head also referred to what happened as a “horrific terrorist attack by Hamas” and added, “We just want to say our hearts are out to Lior’s family and anyone else who may have lost somebody in Israel on Saturday.”

On Sunday, the BBC reported on Waitzman’s passing from a resident of Sderot in southern Israel. That original report did not note Waitzman’s connection to Netflix or Apple.

This marks Netflix’s first public comment about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East since the conflict reignited with Hamas’ surprise attacks on Saturday. Over the past several days, some of the biggest media companies — including Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Amazon — have issued statements condemning the actions of Hamas and standing with Israel. These statements have either been made publicly or were shared via internal memo, which were obtained by TheWrap.

The growing tensions between Israel and the Palestinian militant group came to a head when Hamas launched an attack on Israel comprised of roughly 3,000 missiles. Shortly after, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war.

As of Thursday afternoon, Israel’s military said Hamas’ attack left more than 1,200 people dead and resulted in roughly 2,800 people wounded. That death toll includes at least 27 Americans. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 1,417 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli retaliatory strikes and more than 6,200 others have been wounded.

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