A hostage challenge on SAS Australia 2023 is being slammed for airing “too soon” amid conflict raging between Israel and Palestine.
During the October 11 episode of the Special Forces show, celebrities in the likes of Anthony Mundine, The Bachelor‘s Tim Robards and athlete Peter Bol climbed a 50-metre tall abandoned tower to rescue a hostage.
The recruits then had to undergo live grenade training and, under heavy fire, infiltrate a building to eliminate hostiles.
At the beginning of the episode, a disclaimer said that “viewer discretion was advised”. However, many viewers were left feeling iffy about the challenges, considering what is unfolding in the Middle East.
“A bit too close to what’s happening in Middle East right now,” one user wrote on Twitter. “I know it’s just a TV show but tonight’s content reminds of the devastation overseas.
“Hoping for peace for all.”
“Poor timing to air this episode of SAS Australia,” another penned.
A third said: “This show on prime time showing mock Terrorists with machine guns….too soon.”
Israel’s military has said that the country’s death toll has reached 1,200, with more than 2,700 wounded during the Hamas militants’ hours-long rampage after breaching the border fence around Gaza on October 7.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hmasa authorities have said Retaliatory strikes on the blockaded enclave have killed 1,055 people and wounded 5,184.
Channel 7’s SAS Australia was filmed in early 2023 in Jordan, the first time the series has taken place outside Australia,
Per The Latch, the crew collaborated with Jordanian Armed Forces and Royal Air Force “to secure the necessary weapons, vehicles and personnel for each of the missions”.
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