Who Is Hamdan Ballal, Oscar-Winning Palestinian Director Attacked By Israeli Settlers

Hamdan Ballal, the co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, had just broken his Ramadan fast on Monday when chaos arrived at his doorstep. Masked Israeli settlers, some armed, barged into Susiya, his West Bank village, with Israeli soldiers escorting them.

Minutes later, they targeted Mr Ballal, stoned his house, beat him, and handed him over to the military. Blindfolded and bleeding, Mr Ballal spent the night on the floor of a police station in Kiryat Arba.

He and two other Palestinians were released a day later, after spending the night injured on the floor.

Who is Hamdan Ballal?

Hamdan Ballal Al-Huraini was born in 1989 in Susya, a Palestinian village in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank. He has worked as a farmer, photographer, activist, and researcher. He is married and has a son.

He volunteered as a field researcher for B'Tselem, documenting human rights abuses related to the Israeli occupation. He co-founded the "Humans of Masafer Yatta" project to highlight stories from Palestinian communities.

In 2024, Mr Ballal co-directed No Other Land, a documentary about Israeli settler violence and the struggles of living under occupation in Masafer Yatta (disputed region) from 2019 to 2023. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards. It also won Best Documentary at the 78th British Academy Film Awards. It won the Panorama Audience Award and the Berlinale Documentary Award at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, as well.

Just weeks after the Oscars, Mr Ballal was attacked by Israeli settlers at his home. His wife, Lamia Ballal, described hearing him scream, "I'm dying!" as he was beaten, reported Al Jazeera.

Israeli forces then detained him, blindfolded and injured, at a military base, where Mr Ballal was forced to sleep under freezing conditions, was denied proper medical care, and heard soldiers laughing at him.

His lawyer, Lea Tsemel, said he was falsely accused of throwing stones at a settler.

Hamdan Ballal was released a day later after international pressure.