Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was attacked during a raid by Israeli settlers in his village in the West Bank. After being detained by Israeli forces, he was released on Tuesday, March 25.

According to numerous reports, Hamdan Ballal was attending a gathering for the end of the daily Ramadan fast at Susya village, near Hebron, when he was surrounded and attacked by a group of around 15 armed Israeli settlers. The Palestinian director was injured during the altercation and then chased to his house and handed over to the military.

The incident took place on Monday, March 24, and it is not the first instance of Israeli settlers raiding Palestinian or Bedouin villages in the West Bank. According to activists and Palestinians who monitor such attacks, the police and army usually stand by and do not intervene to stop the settlers.

In an official statement, the IDF said that the violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis started after “terrorists” threw rocks at Israeli citizens.

Hamdan Ballal and two other men were taken to a police station after being arrested. According to attorney Lea Tsemel, who represents them, the three spent the night on the floor of a military base after sustaining serious injuries in the attack.

Later on Tuesday, the Palestinian director and the two other men were released and left the police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Ballal was seen with bruises on his face and blood on his clothes.

Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land,” has been beaten and taken by Israeli settlers, TMZ reports. pic.twitter.com/EgaBytA3Nl

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 24, 2025

Basel Adra, another one of the directors of No Other Land, also witnessed the attack in Susya. “There were dozens of settlers together with the Israeli soldiers and they were threatening us with weapons,” he told The Guardian.

“The police were there from the beginning and did not intervene. While the soldiers were pointing their weapons at us, the settlers started attacking the houses of the Palestinians.

“Hamdan tried to protect his family and the settlers attacked him. Soldiers started shooting in the air to prevent anyone to help Hamdan. He was shouting for help. They let the settlers attack him and then the army abducted him.”

Speaking to the Associated Press, he described the violence the filmmakers are facing. “We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us. This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment,” he said.

public pressure is what saved hamdan ballal. the sickening reality is this is what many palestinians face and we dont even hear about it. major trades covering hamdan’s abduction forced them to release him.

don’t stop posting about this because he was saved, there are many more https://t.co/c1nQcfk60A pic.twitter.com/V4yj7VlJBp

— kenzie xcx 🍒 (@kenzvanunu) March 25, 2025

No Other Land, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary, follows the residents of the Masafer Yatta area as they fight to stop Israeli settlers from demolishing their villages. The film was co-directed by Ballal and Adra, both from Masafar Yatta, together with Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.

During the acceptance speech, Abraham condemned the Israeli regime for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank and called for a “political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people”.

During the war on Gaza, Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank, both through military operations and because of the rise in settler attacks. Last week, Israel launched a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, breaking the ceasefire and resuming its deadly airstrikes. According to authorities, over 50,000 Palestinians have now been killed since Israel launched its military offensive in October 2023.