A Palestinian filmmaker who recently won an Oscar was attacked by Israeli settlers and later detained by the Israeli military, according to activists at the scene.
Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, was at his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when settlers surrounded the property and launched an attack on Monday, activists reported.
His co-director, Yuval Abraham, stated that Ballal was beaten by settlers before being taken by soldiers while in an ambulance. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied detaining any Palestinian from an ambulance. Abraham later confirmed on Tuesday that Ballal had been released.
Clashes and Arrests
The IDF reported that three Palestinians and an Israeli were detained for allegedly throwing rocks at security forces.
Activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV) who were documenting the attack said settlers also targeted them, smashing their car windows and physically assaulting them with punches and sticks.
An activist who spoke to the BBC said the three detained Palestinians, including Ballal, had been injured in the settler attack. They were held at an Israeli police station in the West Bank, accused of throwing stones and injuring a settler shepherd. The activist added that they were given access to legal representation.
According to activists, the violence erupted around 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Monday when approximately a dozen masked settlers attacked the village of Susya. Reports indicate that Ballal’s house was surrounded by the settlers.
Yuval Abraham, who won the Oscar alongside Ballal, said several people were injured, and properties were destroyed in the assault.
Army Response and Detentions
Activists who were present said they alerted Israeli soldiers about the attack, but the army initially stood by before stepping in only as the settlers began to leave. The activists claimed that soldiers refused to pursue the settlers, allowing them to continue attacking homes elsewhere.
The IDF later confirmed that soldiers and police intervened to disperse the violence. The military stated that stones had been thrown at security forces, leading to the detention of three Palestinians and one Israeli for further questioning.
The IDF also reported that an Israeli civilian was injured and taken for medical treatment.
Context of the Documentary and Ongoing Tensions
No Other Land, which won Best Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards, explores the struggle over Masafer Yatta—a cluster of about 20 Palestinian villages—and the friendship between its Palestinian and Israeli co-directors.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. International law deems Israeli settlements in the region illegal, though Israel disputes this. Over the past five decades, settlements have expanded, becoming a flashpoint for violence and territorial disputes.
Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in 2023, violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has escalated significantly.
