Who Plays Gabi in ‘Fauda’? Meet Itzik Cohen, the Actor Behind Captain Ayub

Fans returning to ‘Fauda’ for its latest chapter often find themselves asking the same question about one of the show’s most consistent presences. Itzhak Cohen, born September 9, 1968, in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, is an Israeli actor, filmmaker, and television producer best known for portraying Captain Gabi Ayub in the political thriller television series ‘Fauda’.

His performance has become one of the connective threads running through every season of the show. Cohen reprises his role as Captain Gabi Ayub, a character who has been a constant throughout the many seasons of the series.

Itzik Cohen’s Journey to the Role

Cohen’s path to playing a Shin Bet operative was anything but expected given his professional background. Itzik Cohen wrote a guest blog for Creative Community For Peace expressing his views on the show and its contribution to peace, noting that Fauda started as a low budget production made during a tense summer with little expectation that the wider world would embrace it.

He has been candid about how far removed his early career was from the tone of ‘Fauda’. Cohen explained that he comes from a background in comedy and musicals, which made him fit as an unexpected opposite type cast for the dramatic and complex role of Captain Gabi Ayub, since the creators did not want the stereotype of a tough and macho Shabak investigator and instead wanted a performance that reached the heart of the conflict. That creative gamble, described in his own words to the Times of Israel, reshaped how audiences came to see the character.

Cohen’s academic and military background also shaped the discipline he brought to the role. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he received his BA with honors in 1993 from the Department of Theater at Tel Aviv University. Cohen had his international breakout role in 2015 on ‘Fauda’, and the show went on to receive international critical acclaim, with The New York Times voting it the best international show of 2017.

Who Is Gabi Ayub in ‘Fauda’

Within the world of the series, Gabi has functioned as the steady institutional hand guiding a far more volatile field team. Gabi once worked as a field officer, intelligence expert, and interrogator, and while he is now officially retired from the service and currently works as a boss at a private security firm, he remains a crucial figure in the counter-intelligence agency. He still serves as the captain, or boss, of Doron, and it is Gabi who instructs the protagonist to travel to Marseille to protect Eli at all costs.

That position has never been a comfortable one for the character. Unlike most people around him, Gabi has to remain cautious of what administrative or governmental authorities might want from any given situation, forcing him to make difficult calls throughout the series.

Cohen has spoken about how deeply the character resonates with viewers well beyond the screen. He wrote that hardly a day goes by without receiving a kind word or a pat on the back because of Captain Ayub, from people of different backgrounds across cities including Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Haifa, Akko, and Eilat. He also described being recognized in cities such as London, Berlin, Miami, Brussels, and Rotterdam, where it seemed that everybody was talking about the show.

Gabi Ayub’s Role in ‘Fauda’ Season 5

The latest season finds Gabi operating from a noticeably different professional footing than in past installments. After his ordeal in Season 4, Gabi now works in the private security-technology world rather than operating from his old position. The newest installment finds Gabi in a very different professional position than fans remember, having moved away from his former official role.

Even from outside his previous office, his influence over the team’s operations has not diminished. The intelligence he provides helps turn the Marseille pursuit into a broader operation, and Gabi remains the institutional counterweight to Doron’s instinct, still understanding the team and the intelligence picture even from his new position.

The season around him has also expanded its cast considerably. Fauda Season 5 brings Lior Raz, Yaakov Zada Daniel, and Doron Ben-David back into the same damaged unit, while changing the balance with Mélanie Laurent as Anne Aubert, Hakim Djaziri as Saeed, and Bian Anteer as Salem. Gabi’s presence among that returning core gives longtime viewers a familiar anchor as the show pushes its geopolitical scope further outward.

Itzik Cohen Beyond ‘Fauda’

Cohen’s résumé extends well past the character that introduced him to international audiences. In 2021, he began working on the television show ‘The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’. He also mentioned finishing a film shoot in Belgium alongside Ben Kingsley and Monica Bellucci, describing the warm reception he received during his travels through several European cities because of the show’s reach.

His profile as a filmmaker and producer rounds out a career that began long before Gabi Ayub became his most recognized role. Cohen has worked as an actor, filmmaker, and television producer, with a career active since 1993. That range has allowed him to move between comedic roots and the weight of a role like Gabi without either side of his work overshadowing the other.

With ‘Fauda’ Season 5 now placing Gabi in unfamiliar professional territory, it feels like a fitting moment for longtime viewers to weigh in on how well Cohen has carried Captain Ayub through this new chapter of the show.