JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was assaulted by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Monday before being detained by the Israeli military, according to witnesses and fellow filmmakers.
The Israeli military has acknowledged awareness of the incident but has yet to provide an official comment.
Attack and Detention in Susiya
Ballal was among three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya, attorney Leah Tsemmel confirmed. She stated that police informed her the detainees were taken to a military base for medical treatment, though she has been unable to contact them. 
Basel Adra, another co-director of No Other Land, witnessed the attack and said that around two dozen settlers—some masked, some armed, and some in Israeli military uniform—stormed the village. When soldiers arrived, they reportedly pointed their guns at Palestinians while settlers continued pelting homes and people with stones.
“We returned from the Oscars, and every day since, there has been an attack on us,” Adra told The Associated Press. “It feels like they’re punishing us for making the film.”
An Award-Winning Film Under Fire
No Other Land, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary this year, sheds light on the struggles of Palestinian residents in the Masafer Yatta region against Israeli military efforts to demolish their villages. Ballal and Adra, both from Masafer Yatta, co-directed the documentary alongside Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.
The film has received multiple international accolades since premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024. However, it has also sparked controversy, including a backlash in the U.S., where Miami Beach officials considered terminating the lease of a theater that screened it.
A Violent Evening During Ramadan
According to Adra, the attack occurred shortly after villagers had broken their daily fast for Ramadan. He reported that a known settler aggressor approached Ballal’s home, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, who then fired warning shots into the air. Ballal’s wife later recounted hearing her husband scream, “I’m dying,” as he was beaten outside.
Adra witnessed soldiers blindfold and handcuff Ballal before dragging him to a military vehicle. He later described seeing his friend’s blood staining the ground outside his home.
An anonymous eyewitness corroborated Adra’s account, stating that a group of masked settlers—between 10 and 20 individuals—also attacked international activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, smashing car windows and slashing tires to force them from the area.
Footage provided by the activist group captured one masked settler shoving and punching two activists in a dusty field at night. The activists fled toward their car as the sound of rocks striking the vehicle filled the air.
Context of Rising Violence
Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians claim all three as part of their future state, with settlement expansion seen as a key obstacle to peace.
Over 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in more than 100 officially recognized settlements in the West Bank, while approximately 3 million Palestinians remain under Israeli military rule. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority governs urban areas but exerts little control over wider territory.
Masafer Yatta was designated a military live-fire training zone in the 1980s, and Israeli authorities have long sought to evict its residents. While about 1,000 Palestinians continue to live there, they face frequent demolitions of homes, water tanks, and olive groves. Many fear full-scale expulsion is imminent.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, the West Bank has seen an increase in military raids, with hundreds of Palestinians killed. There has also been a surge in settler attacks on Palestinian communities, along with retaliatory Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
Awaiting Answers
As of now, Ballal remains in military custody, with no word on his condition. Advocacy groups and human rights organizations have called for his immediate release and for accountability regarding the settler violence that led to his detention. The Israeli government has yet to respond to these demands.
The attack on Ballal underscores the dangers faced by Palestinians in the West Bank, particularly those documenting and resisting displacement. With tensions escalating, the international spotlight remains on the region—and on the filmmakers behind No Other Land, whose work continues to challenge the status quo.
