Following an attack by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal has been released by soldiers. The acclaimed director of “No Other Land,” which won the Best Documentary Oscar this year and depicts events in the West Bank, was set free from an Israeli police station in Kiryat Arba, West Bank. Ballal, along with two other Palestinians who were assaulted and detained, were taken to a nearby hospital.

Expressing his ordeal, Ballal mentioned that he heard soldiers mocking him and making fun of his Oscar award. He also described being blindfolded and kept in a military base for 24 hours, forced to sleep under a freezing cold air conditioner. Their lawyer, Lea Tsemel, stated that she was denied access to her clients for hours after they were detained and subjected to torture.

According to Ballal’s statements to his lawyer while in custody, he went outside to film the settlers’ attacks on houses in the village, but was assaulted when they returned home. He claimed that a known settler who had previously threatened him attacked him with two soldiers at his door, bringing him to the ground and repeatedly kicking him. Ballal’s wife, Lamia, heard him screaming “I’m dying!” while hiding inside with their three children. She witnessed three uniformed men beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles, while another in civilian clothing filmed the attack.

A video circulated on social media in April showing the settler threatening Ballal, claiming the land belonged to him and vowing to be less merciful next time. Palestinian residents reported that around 20 Jewish settlers attacked the Susiya village in the West Bank on Monday evening, some masked, armed, and some in military uniforms, while the villagers were breaking their fast during iftar.

“No Other Land” tells the story of residents in the Masafer Yatta region of Palestine resisting the destruction of their villages by the Israeli army. The film, a joint Israeli-Palestinian production, has received numerous international awards, including at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival. Basel Adra, one of the film’s directors and a prominent Palestinian activist in the region, noted an increase in attacks by settlers and Israeli forces following the Oscar win.