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Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was attacked yesterday (March 24) by a group of Israeli settlers before being taken by IDF soldiers, according to two of his fellow directors and witnesses.
Shortly after breaking his fast, Ballal was taken from the village of Susiya, Palestine, after he was allegedly approached by a settler with a few IDF soldiers who proceeded to shoot in the air. Ballal's wife then heard her husband being beaten outside and yelling out the words "I'm dying".
An ambulance was dispatched to the premises, but IDF soldiers proceeded to beat him in it before blindfolding him and kidnapping him. He has not been heard from since.
“We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us," Basel Adra, co-director and witness to the detention, told AP. "This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.”
Less than a month ago, Ballal took the stage at the 2025 Academy Awards to receive the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. His film 'No Other Land' chronicles the stories of residents of Masafar Yatta and their struggles against IDF forces trying to demolish their village and settlers.
The film was extremely well received critically but struggled internationally due to its drawing the ire of Israelis and others, with theatres being threatened over screening it.
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