Oscar-Winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal released from detention

Ballal and the other directors of No Other Land, which explores the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when the film won the Oscar award for Best Documentary Feature.

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

Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones, residents told the AP.

Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she heard her husband being beaten outside their home as she huddled inside with their three children. She heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” and calling for an ambulance.

When she looked out the window, she saw three men in uniform beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles and another person in civilian clothes who appeared to be filming the violence.

“Of course, after the Oscar, they have come to attack us more,” Lamia said. “I felt afraid.”

Human rights group Amnesty International called for accountability for the attack.

“Hamdan Billal was forcibly disappeared by Israeli soldiers after having been assaulted by Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians … He has now been released, but those who carried out the attacks must be held accountable,” it said in a post on X.

Ballal said he was attacked by a well-known settler who had threatened him in the past.