The Israeli television broadcaster Keshet has confirmed it will continue with production on the reality television series Big Brother Israel despite the conflict in Gaza reaching flashpoint.
The move comes as most commercial television production in Israel has been temporarily shut down, and international productions such as Fox's Tyrant and NBC Universal's Dig have shifting out of the region.
Big Brother Israel, which is produced by Israeli broadcaster Keshet, is one of the network's biggest current hits, drawing a 45 per cent share of the audience. It is midway through its sixth season.
As the situation in the region has escalated, most Israeli television channels have suspended normal programming, replacing it with rolling news coverage of the conflict.
But rather than shut production down as other programs, such as the local version of The Voice, have done, Keshet says production on Big Brother will continue.
The producers have added a bomb shelter to the Big Brother "house" - in truth, a labyrinthine complex of rooms and concealed camera passages.
They have also installed an alarm system, which will alert the housemates to the risk of rocket fire.
Big Brother Israel is filmed in the town of Neve Ilan, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which is close to Israel's border with the west bank.
Keshet's head of programming Ran Telem told The Hollywood Reporter the decision was "debated" internally.
"The audience appreciates the break they get, so we try very hard despite the situation to keep it on the air," Telem said.
"The contract we have with the viewers at home is that when there is a significant development, we return to the news telecast at once."
But the move will likely provoke criticism that the broadcaster is hanging on to one big-ticket profitable program, as the crisis impacts commercial television revenue in the region.
According to media reports, Israel's two main commercial broadcasters Keshet and Reshet lost around $US25 million ($26.8 million) in advertising revenue during the first two weeks of the escalated conflict.
Earlier this month the US production Tyrant, about the family of a Middle-Eastern dictator, confirmed it was relocating production from Tel Aviv to Turkey to film the last two of its 10 episodes.
Another series, Dig, an archaeological drama, relocated to the US city of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And a third US project, a CBS miniseries titled The Dovekeepers, was to be filmed in Israel but has shifted production to Malta.
