Duvdevan: The Real Life Fauda Unit and Its Foundation

Duvdevan is the real life Fauda unit: an undercover IDF commando team that inspired the show's creators, Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, both of whom served in it. We lost 12 soldiers after October 7, and we are still absorbing what that day cost.

Duvdevan is the IDF unit that inspired Fauda

Duvdevan is the actual IDF unit behind Fauda, not a nickname invented for entertainment. Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff both served in Duvdevan before creating the series, according to TheWrap's reporting on the show. Fauda debuted on Israeli television in 2015 and later moved to Netflix worldwide, following undercover commander Doron Kavillio across five seasons filmed in Hebrew and Arabic. That premise, an Israeli commander going undercover inside Palestinian communities, mirrors Duvdevan's actual mission almost exactly. Israeli news site Mako describes Duvdevan as also functioning as the operational arm of the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service, touching some of the most sensitive points inside the West Bank.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 pushed the comparison further in 2019, sending a military correspondent to spend a year embedded with Duvdevan commanders and soldiers for a documentary that Israeli outlet Srugim News billed at the time as "Fauda, the reality version." The unit's own commander pushed back on the comparison in a 2025 interview with N12: he said most people picture soldiers tearing off disguises and storming in the way the show depicts, but undercover work is only part of what the unit trains for, alongside raids, sniping, breaching, and drone operations.

How was the Duvdevan unit created?

The IDF established Duvdevan in June 1986 to build a precise, localized way of handling security incidents in Judea and Samaria among a dense civilian population, according to the IDF's own unit page. Israeli military site Adrenalin-Israel reports the unit was formed on the initiative of Ehud Barak, then a senior IDF commander, so the army could operate inside Arab population centers without friction. The unit's motto translates to "by clever strategy you shall wage war," and it now sits inside the Commando Brigade alongside the Maglan and Egoz units.

How does Duvdevan actually operate?

Duvdevan carries out both open and disguised activity among the Arab population, including night arrests, captures of wanted men, ambushes, and undercover mista'arvim missions, according to the IDF's own description of the unit. Israeli news outlet Ynet documented one such operation in 2021: undercover Duvdevan operatives, wearing no IDF markings, arrested a wanted suspect in broad daylight in the middle of Jenin, captured on video by a Palestinian bystander. Israeli outlet Walla News reported that under one Judea and Samaria division commander's push for continuous, targeted special operations, the local wanted list fell to just 56 names within a year, in what the commander called proof that sustained pressure works even though it guarantees nothing for the future. The unit recruits three times a year, taking in roughly 60 to 70 soldiers per cycle through paratrooper selection, a general special-forces tryout day, or transfer from a more senior unit, according to Israeli recruitment site Machon Noam.

What did Duvdevan do on October 7?

Duvdevan was among the elite Israeli units that reached the Gaza-envelope communities within the first hours of the attack, according to a Foundation for Defense of Democracies account of that morning, when roughly 1,200 people were killed and hostages were taken across southern Israel. Two of the unit's officers, Maj. Ben Bronshtein and Maj. Or Ran, were killed fighting the invasion of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, according to the Times of Israel, where 64 residents in total were murdered and 19 were taken captive. Duvdevan then carried that fight into Operation Iron Swords in Gaza, where we lost 12 soldiers in total.

What does the Duvdevan Foundation do for veterans?

We are the Duvdevan Foundation, known in the United States as Friends of Duvdevan, and we fund four programs for active-duty soldiers, reservists, and veterans of the unit: education and scholarships, mentorship, resilience and trauma treatment, and support for bereaved families. Together, these programs already reach hundreds of soldiers, reservists and veterans across the unit's history. Duvdevan produces more PTSD cases than any other IDF unit, a function of how often its soldiers move between undercover operations and ordinary civilian life. We run roughly 100 scholarships a year, many of them going to veterans who then volunteer as mentors inside our own programs.

Where does the money go?

Every dollar we raise in the United States funds our work in Israel directly. Charity Navigator gives us a three-out-of-four star rating based on our 2024 IRS filings, and we post our audit reports, Form 990s, and financial statements on our own transparency page.

How can you support the Duvdevan Foundation?

We accept gifts by credit card, Donor Advised Fund, mailed check, wire transfer, ACH transfer, and stock donation, along with planned gifts and employer matching for workplace giving programs. Donors in Canada or Australia can email us directly for local giving instructions.

Conclusion

Duvdevan is the real life Fauda unit, and the show only ever showed part of what we do. We lost 12 of our own after October 7, and we are still fighting for the veterans who came home changed. Readers who want to stand with us can give directly through our donation page today.

קרא גרסה זו בעברית (Read this article in Hebrew).