No Other Land Director Hamdan Ballal Injured and Missing Following Attack

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Shortly after the documentary film “No Other Land” received the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, one of its four directors, Hamdan Ballal, was injured in a confrontation with approximately 15 Israeli settlers in the village of Susiya, located within Masafer Yatta – the very territory where the movie was filmed, as reported by The Guardian. Ballal’s fellow director, Yuval Abraham, shared that he was beaten and sustained head and abdominal injuries during the incident. As Ballal was being taken to the hospital via ambulance, both he and another individual were detained by the Israeli military, and their current whereabouts remain unknown. Basel Adra, another director of “No Other Land,” posted on Twitter that he is standing with Ballal’s young son in the wake of the violence.

In Adra’s account to The Guardian, there were numerous settlers alongside Israeli soldiers who menaced us with weapons. Police were present from the start and failed to intervene. As the soldiers aimed their weapons at us, the settlers initiated an assault on Palestinian homes. Adra explained that Hamdan attempted to shield his family, but the settlers attacked him relentlessly. The soldiers responded by firing into the air to deter anyone from assisting Hamdan. He cried out for help, yet they allowed the settlers to attack him. Eventually, the army apprehended him.”

Adra had previously reported that his neighbors’ house was “invaded” on March 11, shortly after the No Other Land team returned from the Academy Awards.

The violence by settlers in Masafer Yatta started approximately at 6 p.m., as stated in a press release from the Centre for Jewish Nonviolence. Anna Lippman, who is associated with CFJN, arrived at the scene around 15 minutes after the attacks commenced and recorded the ensuing violence. Lippman informed Vulture that Ballal was assaulted inside his own home, and the police appeared more focused on arresting him than on pursuing the settlers responsible for the attacks or aiding those from the nonprofit whose vehicles were damaged; the reason behind Ballal’s detention remains unclear. Similar to the work portrayed in No Other Land, Lippman explained that the Centre, along with numerous other international organizations, is documenting their villages. “Our goal,” she said, “is to use our international status to reduce violence and displacement against Palestinians in Masafer Yatta.

During the Academy Awards on March 2nd, Ballal stated that the film portraying real-life incidents of Israeli settler and military aggression in Masafer Yatta “mirrors the severe hardship we’ve faced for decades and continue to fight against, while urging global action to halt this injustice.” Lippman shares similar views. She believes “spreading this narrative and urging our political leaders to intervene on behalf of Hamdan is crucial for exerting pressure on Israel to free him.” Previously, international pressure has proved effective in aiding the residents of Masafer Yatta.

According to Adra, Palestinians in the village are frequently subjected to physical attacks by settlers on a near-daily basis, as reported to The Guardian. It appears that the escalation of such violent actions could be due to recent events like the release of the movie or winning an Oscar.

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2025-03-25 02:53