Who is Hamdan Ballal? The Detention of an Oscar-Winning Filmmaker by Israel
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Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of the 2024 documentary "No Other Land," was released by Israeli authorities on Tuesday afternoon. He had been detained on Monday after being assaulted by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to the Associated Press.
Why was Hamdan Ballal detained by Israel?
Ballal was apprehended along with two other Palestinians at a police station located in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Reports indicate that he sustained facial bruises and his clothing was stained with blood. After their release, the three individuals were transported to a hospital in the nearby city of Hebron, as reported by the outlet.
Earlier this month, Ballal and his fellow directors took the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where their film No Other Land received the award for Best Documentary Film. According to their attorney, Lea Tsemel, Ballal and the other detainees allegedly spent the night on the floor of a military base and received very little medical attention for their injuries.
Tsemel previously stated that the trio faced accusations of throwing stones at a young settler, which they have denied. The Associated Press reported that Palestinians claimed "masked" gunmen in military attire ambushed the village of Susiya on Monday evening, attacking residents as they were breaking their Ramadan fast.
Residents reported that soldiers aimed their weapons at Palestinians while settlers hurled stones. Yuval Abraham, one of Ballal's co-directors, took to social media to announce the attack on the filmmaker, alleging that he was "assaulted and beaten" by Israeli forces.
In response, the Israeli military stated that they had detained three Palestinians suspected of throwing rocks at soldiers, along with one Israeli civilian involved in what they characterized as a violent confrontation, according to the outlet.
An Israeli journalist reported on X that a group of settlers has lynched Hamdan Ballal, the co-director of the film "No Other Land." He sustained injuries to his head and abdomen and is currently bleeding. After he called for an ambulance, soldiers intervened and took him away. There has been no information regarding his whereabouts since then. Abraham stated that Ballal is "injured and being detained at a police station in a settlement," and he further noted that the filmmaker was "handcuffed and blindfolded" throughout the night at a military base.
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