Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was attacked by Israeli settlers near his home in the West Bank and later detained by Israeli forces, his Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham said on Tuesday.
“A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal… They beat him, causing injuries to his head and stomach. He was bleeding. Soldiers then invaded the ambulance he called and took him away. There has been no sign of him since,” Abraham wrote on X.
Ballal collaborated with Abraham, Palestinian filmmaker-activist Basel Adra, and Israeli cinematographer Rachel Szor on No Other Land, a documentary that captures the destruction of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces. The film has won multiple international awards, including Best Documentary at the Oscars.
According to the Associated Press, Adra witnessed Ballal’s apprehension, stating that around two dozen settlers stormed the village, pelting stones and damaging infrastructure while Israeli forces aimed their guns at Palestinians.
“We returned from the Oscars, and since then, there have been daily attacks. This feels like a punishment for making the movie,” Adra said.
Abraham later shared a video showing masked persons hurling stones at a car, referring to them as “armed KKK-like settlers” involved in Ballal’s attack.
No Other Land premiered at the 2023 Berlinale, winning the Audience Award and Berlinale Documentary Award. However, during his acceptance speech, Abraham condemned Israeli policies as “apartheid” and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. He later received death threats and accusations of antisemitism, which he strongly denied.
The documentary has since won awards at 68 international film festivals, including the BAFTA Award, European Film Award, and IDA Awards. Its critical success has also drawn increased scrutiny from Israeli nationalist groups.
As Ballal’s whereabouts remain unknown, concerns over his safety continue to grow amid rising violence in the occupied West Bank.
