Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal reportedly beaten and taken by Israeli settlers
Photo: Reuters
Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, has reportedly gone missing after being attacked by Israeli settlers, according to co-director Yuval Abraham.
“A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal,” Abraham posted on X (formerly Twitter). “They beat him, leaving him with head and stomach injuries. Soldiers then invaded the ambulance he called and took him. No sign of him since.”
A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co director of our film no other land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) March 24, 2025
The Associated Press cited reports from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, which stated that 10-20 masked settlers attacked Ballal and others using stones and sticks, also smashing car windows and slashing tires. A video shared by Abraham shows a masked man pushing another individual, before the person filming flees the scene.
The incident comes just three weeks after No Other Land won Best Documentary at the 2025 Oscars. The film’s directors—Ballal, Abraham, Basel Adra, and Rachel Szor—used their acceptance speech to call for global action against Palestinian displacement.
No Other Land follows a Palestinian family facing eviction in the West Bank. The film won major awards at the Berlin Film Festival and screened at Toronto, Vancouver, and New York film festivals. Despite critical acclaim, it lacks a U.S. distributor, leading to a self-release in New York (Jan. 31) and Los Angeles (Feb. 7).
Ballal’s current whereabouts remain unknown.