Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, before he was detained by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, according to his fellow directors and eyewitnesses.
Ballal was one of three Palestinians arrested on Monday in the village of Susiya in Masafer Yatta, attorney Leah Tsemmel confirmed. She stated that Israeli police informed her the detainees were receiving medical treatment at a military base, but she had been unable to speak with them.
According to Basel Adra, another co-director of No Other Land, a group of around two dozen settlers, some masked and armed, attacked the village, damaging property. Israeli soldiers, who later arrived, allegedly aimed their guns at Palestinians while settlers continued to throw stones.
“We came back from the Oscars, and every day since, there has been an attack on us,” Adra told the Associated Press. “This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.”
Israeli Military’s Justification Disputed
The Israeli military claimed it had arrested three Palestinians suspected of throwing rocks and detained one Israeli civilian involved in a violent altercation. However, witnesses disputed these allegations. The military said the detainees were transferred to Israeli police for questioning, and an Israeli citizen was evacuated for medical treatment.
Ballal’s arrest came shortly after residents had broken their fast for Ramadan. Adra stated that a known settler, frequently involved in attacks on the village, approached Ballal’s home alongside Israeli soldiers. Shots were fired in the air, and Ballal’s wife reportedly heard him being beaten and screaming, “I’m dying.”
Adra later witnessed Ballal, handcuffed and blindfolded, being led away by soldiers. “His blood is still splattered on the ground outside his home,” he said.
International Concerns Over Settler Violence
A group of 10-20 masked settlers also attacked international activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, smashing car windows and slashing tires to force them to flee. Josh Kimelman, an activist at the scene, described how settlers assaulted them with stones and sticks.
Video footage from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence showed a masked settler attacking two activists in a field at night, as rocks hit their vehicle.
Ongoing Tensions in Masafer Yatta
Masafer Yatta, located in the southern West Bank, was designated a live-fire training zone by the Israeli military in the 1980s, leading to eviction orders against local residents, mostly Arab Bedouins. While around 1,000 residents remain, they face frequent home demolitions and military operations, heightening fears of forced expulsion.
Since the start of the Gaza war, Israel has escalated military operations across the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians. Simultaneously, there has been a sharp rise in settler violence, while Palestinian attacks on Israelis have also increased.
About No Other Land
The award-winning documentary No Other Land chronicles the struggle of Masafer Yatta’s residents against Israeli military demolitions. Co-directed by Palestinians Hamdan Ballal and Basel Adra alongside Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the film has received multiple international awards, including the Best Documentary Feature Film Oscar in 2025.
Despite its global recognition, the film has drawn controversy, with some Israeli institutions opposing its screenings. In Miami Beach, officials even proposed terminating the lease of a theater that showed the documentary.
The attack on Ballal and his subsequent detention have raised further concerns about freedom of expression, settler violence, and military intervention in the West Bank.
