Actress Mouna Hawa, famous for her role in the award-winning series Fauda, has called descriptions of the Hamas massacres on October 7 "propaganda," according to some screenshots of an exchange of messages published by Israel Hayom.
Hawa gained international recognition for her portrayal of Amal, an Arab widow seeking revenge after her husband is killed during their wedding party in the first season of Fauda. She is also the recipient of an Ophir Award.
The report explains that the exchange took place after a classmate of Hawa from film school confronted her about a post on social media accusing Israel of cutting off water access to 2.2 million people and predicting hundreds of thousands of deaths due to dehydration unless the "apartheid regime" restored access.
When confronted by the classmate about her allegations, the actress denied the veracity of some of the atrocities committed by Hamas, claiming that "there was insufficient evidence."
“There is no concrete evidence of rape or murder,” she wrote. “This is propaganda to gain sympathy. Hamas is not responsible for the immediate deaths of the Palestinian people. Palestinians have been dying for years, but suddenly you are concerned?"
She further questioned her classmate's lack of awareness regarding the ongoing killings of Palestinians and emphasized that the situation was a consequence of Israeli occupation and imprisonment.
Hawa concluded by requesting her classmate not to contact her if they couldn't understand her viewpoint.
'My words were taken out of context'
Reached for comment by Israel Hayom, however, Hawa said that the exchange happened at a time when the atrocities had not yet been confirmed by the Israeli authorities and her words were taken out of context.
"I have never supported harm to civilians, women, or babies,” she said. “My moral position, which I held before and during the war, is clear: no innocent person should be harmed. This is particularly relevant to the atrocities that occurred in the Gaza border communities.
“The conversation mentioned was taken out of context and represents a private discussion,” she said. “At the time, there were reports in the international media questioning the accuracy of the claims of beheadings and rape. Even the IDF spokesperson did not confirm these statements. While we cannot determine all the facts definitively, it is evident that the situation is disastrous, regardless of beheadings.”
“Acts such as rape, beheading, and harming children should be condemned without exception, regardless of who commits them,” she further said. “I have not made any statements justifying the massacre of civilians, and any attempt to cherry-pick from a private conversation is a deliberate attack on my reputation."
Last month, another Israeli-Arab actress, Maisa Abd Elhadi, was indicted by Israeli authorities for her statements in support of Hamas.