Palestinian filmmaker, Hamdan Ballal, one of the four directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, has been arrested by the Israeli military following a violent assault on his home by masked settlers in the occupied West Bank.

As per reports from Al Jazeera, the attack, witnessed by several Jewish American activists, took place in Susya, a village in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, where Ballal has been documenting the destruction of Palestinian communities.

Eyewitnesses described how a group of about fifteen armed settlers stormed Ballal’s home, throwing stones and damaging property. Joseph, one of the activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, recounted that the settlers destroyed a water tank near Ballal’s house before targeting him directly. “They started throwing stones towards Palestinians and destroyed a water tank near Hamdan’s house,” he said.

Another witness, Raviv, described the extent of the damage inflicted by the settlers. “The settlers destroyed his car with stones and slashed one of the tyres. All the windows and windshields were broken,” he told Guardian. The situation escalated when a group of soldiers arrived alongside settlers dressed in military uniform. The soldiers chased Ballal into his house before handing him over to the military.

Ballal sustained injuries from the attack, with activists later entering his home to find blood on the floor. A family member confirmed that he had been struck on the head. Alongside Ballal, another man identified only as Nasser was arrested and taken to a police station. The reason for their arrest remains unclear.

‘Revenge for the Oscar’

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement claiming that a “violent confrontation” had taken place between Palestinians and Israelis after “terrorists” threw rocks at Israeli citizens. The IDF asserted that security forces had arrived to disperse the altercation, at which point “several terrorists began hurling rocks at the security forces.” The statement further noted that three Palestinians and one Israeli civilian were detained for “further questioning.”

Ballal’s colleague and co-director of No Other Land, Basel Adra, believes the arrest and attack may be linked to the growing international recognition of the film. “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,” Adra said.

Adra, who witnessed the attack firsthand, described the violence as “horrific.” “There were dozens of settlers together with the Israeli soldiers, and they were threatening us with weapons. 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,” he recounted.

“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,” Adra added.

Yuval Abraham, an Israeli co-director of No Other Land, condemned the attack on social media. “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,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The genocide continues

This is not the first instance of violence against the filmmakers of No Other Land. In February, Basel Adra was also surrounded and attacked by masked settlers. Earlier this week, Adra posted on X about ongoing settler violence in 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 tyres with knives,” he wrote. He further described the climate of fear, stating, “We risked our lives to film. 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.”

The attack on Ballal comes amid a fresh wave of settler violence in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, where Palestinian communities are frequently subjected to forced displacement. The area has been under threat of demolition for years as Israeli authorities push for the eviction of Palestinian residents.

Adding to the controversy, Israel’s culture minister Miki Zohar recently denounced No Other Land’s Oscar win, calling it “a sad moment for the world of cinema.” The documentary, a joint effort between Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, documents the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the West Bank at the hands of the Israeli state.

The Academy has yet to issue a statement on the arrest of Ballal.