SUSIYA, West Bank — Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of No Other Land, was released from detention on Tuesday (March 25), a day after being injured and arrested during an Israeli settler raid on his village in the occupied West Bank. Ballal stated that he was assaulted by settlers after filming them attacking a neighbor's house. Concerned for his own home’s safety, he remained outside when the settlers returned. "I was just waiting outside in case any settlers or soldiers attacked my home," he told Reuters after his release. He described being pushed to the ground while soldiers shouted at him to get up and pointed their weapons at him. "It’s terrifying—you can imagine your family inside, and you need to protect them," he said.

The incident occurred shortly after a group of settlers attacked a gathering for Iftar, the evening meal marking the end of the daily Ramadan fast, in Susiya village near Hebron. Jihad Nawajaa, head of the local council, reported that "dozens of settlers" disrupted the gathering, leading to clashes in which eight Palestinians were injured. Additionally, the settlers allegedly stole around ten sheep from the village.

Israeli police arrested three men, including Ballal, during the confrontation. His wife, Lamia Ballal, recounted how settlers surrounded their house, prompting her husband to step outside in an attempt to prevent them from breaking in. "They attacked him, started beating him, and then he was arrested," she said.

The Israeli military stated that security forces intervened after Palestinians allegedly threw rocks at Israeli vehicles and later at soldiers. "In response, the forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks and an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation," the statement read, denying claims that one of the detainees was taken away in an ambulance.

Ballal believes the attack was a form of retaliation for the documentary, which highlights the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community. His co-director, Basel Adra, noted that settlers had frequently harassed Ballal and even brought the army to his home. "Because he films and documents what is happening, he has been targeted and punished in this way," Adra said. European countries and the Biden administration had previously sanctioned violent Israeli settlers, but under President Donald Trump, these measures were lifted.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.