Palestinian Oscar-winning director lynched, arrested in settler attack

Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian director of the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has been detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) following an attack on his home by masked settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Read more: Palestinian-"Israeli" documentary ‘No Other Land’ wins an Oscar

Ballal, one of the four co-directors of the documentary, was assaulted by a group of around 15 armed settlers in the village of Susya, located in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, according to five Jewish-American activists who witnessed the incident. The film, which documents the destruction of Palestinian villages in the region, recently gained international recognition.

“They started throwing stones towards Palestinians and destroyed a water tank near Hamdan’s house,” said Joseph, an activist from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Witnesses reported that IOF soldiers arrived at the scene alongside settlers dressed in military uniforms. The soldiers then chased Ballal into his house and handed him over to the military.

‘‘The settlers destroyed his car with stones and slashed one of the tires,’’ another witness, Raviv, told The Guardian. ‘‘All the windows and windshields were broken.’’

Ballal was injured in the attack before being taken away by the IOF. Activists who filmed the incident later entered his home, where they found blood on the floor. A family member stated that Ballal had been struck on the head.

Ballal, along with another man identified only as Nasser, was arrested and taken to a police station. The reason for their detention remains unclear.

Basel Adra, another co-director of No Other Land, suggested that the attack could be linked to the film’s recent Oscar win.

“Palestinians in the village have been under physical attack by settlers almost daily. The settlers’ violence is increasing here. Maybe it’s revenge for the movie and the Oscar,” he said.

Adra, who witnessed the attack, described the situation as “horrific.”

I'm standing with Karam, Hamdan's 7 year old son, near the blood of Hamdan's in his house, after settlers lynched him. Hamdan, co-director of our film No Other Land, is still missing after soldiers abducted him, injured and bleeding. This is how they erase Masafer Yatta. pic.twitter.com/72pT3UF3kj

— Basel Adra (@basel_adra) March 24, 2025

“There were dozens of settlers together with the Israeli soldiers, and they were threatening us with weapons,” he said. “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 from helping Hamdan. He was shouting for help. They let the settlers attack him and then the army abducted him.”

Yuval Abraham, an "Israeli" co-director of the film, shared his concern on X, stating: “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co-director of our film No Other Land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called and took him. No sign of him since.”

קבוצת מתנחלים תקפה את הבית של חמדן בלל, שביים איתי את הסרט אין ארץ אחרת שזכה באוסקר. הכו אותו בראש ובכל הגוף. בעוד פצוע ומדמם, חיילים נכנסו לאמבולנס שהזמין, ועצרו אותו. מאז נעלם ולא ברור אם הוא מקבל טיפול רפואי ומה קורה לו.

— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) March 24, 2025

This is not the first time crew members of No Other Land have been targeted. In February, Adra was similarly attacked by masked "Israeli" settlers.

Earlier on Monday, Adra wrote on X that “armed and masked settlers” were “leading a terror attack on Masafer Yatta.”

“Dozens of settlers arrived at my friend Nasser’s house in Susya, throwing stones at his home, smashing his vehicle, and slashing [the vehicle’s tyres with knives],” he wrote. “We risked our life to film,” adding that “soldiers are ordering us to stay inside our homes in the village, while those who attack and could’ve slaughtered the residents in their homes roam freely, masked, around the village.”