Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian filmmaker and co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was detained by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank following a violent confrontation between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, according to activists.
The Center for Jewish Nonviolence reported that Ballal’s home in the village of Susya was surrounded by settlers during an attack Monday. His co-director, Yuval Abraham, said Ballal was beaten and taken by Israeli soldiers while inside an ambulance.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), without naming Ballal, said three Palestinians and one Israeli were detained on suspicion of throwing rocks at security forces.
Five Jewish American activists with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence said about a dozen masked settlers launched an attack in Susya around 6 p.m. local time. The activists, who were there to document the incident, said settlers smashed their car windows and physically assaulted them with punches and sticks.
Abraham, who won an Oscar alongside Ballal earlier this month, said people were injured and properties were destroyed during the attack. One activist told the BBC that when they reported the attack to Israeli soldiers, the army intervened, prompting the settlers to retreat.
The IDF confirmed that soldiers and Israeli police dispersed the confrontation, stating that rocks had been thrown at security forces.
“In response, the forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at them, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation,” the IDF said in a statement. “The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel Police. An Israeli citizen was injured in the incident and was evacuated for medical treatment.”
No Other Land, which won Best Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards, examines the struggle over Masafer Yatta, a cluster of about 20 Palestinian villages, and the friendship between its co-directors, Ballal and Abraham.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and Israeli settlements in the area are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Settler expansion has fueled long-standing tensions and frequent violence over land claims.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated.