Israel releases Oscar-winning Palestinian director attacked by West Bank settlers

Hamdan Ballal’s wife said three men beat her husband with the butts of their rifles and another person reportedly filmed the violence

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Director Hamdan Ballal was released from a police station in the West Bank on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 7:14am, 25 Mar 2025Updated: 11:06pm, 25 Mar 2025

Israeli authorities released an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was detained by the army after being attacked by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, who his wife said beat him in front of his home while filming the assault.

Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of No Other Land, which looks at the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film.

Ballal and two other Palestinians detained with him were released on Tuesday afternoon from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Ballal had bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, and the three were driven to a hospital in the neighbouring Palestinian city of Hebron.

Their lawyer, Lea Tsemel, said they spent the night on the floor of a military base while receiving only minimal care for their injuries from the attack.

She had earlier said they were accused of throwing stones at a young settler, allegations they deny.

Palestinian residents said around two dozen settlers – some masked, some carrying guns and some in military uniforms – attacked the West Bank village of Susiya on Monday evening as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.