On Monday, March 24, 2025, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ with Israeli director Yuval Abraham, was arrested by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. The incident was reported by Yuval Abraham via social media. According to him, a group of settlers attacked Ballal’s home in Susiya, located in the southern West Bank, where he was subsequently beaten and taken away in an ambulance, only to be detained by soldiers. Ballal’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The events unfolded in Susiya, a Palestinian village under Israeli occupation since 1967. Members of the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, a non-governmental organization opposing the occupation, were present and captured video footage. When questioned by the French Press Agency, the Israeli military stated they were verifying the facts. Later, in a statement, they announced the arrest of three Palestinians and one Israeli citizen, denying any involvement in detaining someone inside an ambulance. They referred to the Palestinians as ‘terrorists’ who threw stones at Israeli citizens and vehicles, leading to clashes and injuring an Israeli citizen.
Meanwhile, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that four Palestinians, including Ballal, were injured during the settler raid in Susiya. The Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land,’ which follows a young Palestinian resisting forced displacement in his village, Masfera Yatta near Susiya, highlights the ongoing struggle against illegal settlements. Ballal suffered head and stomach injuries before being taken by Israeli soldiers from the ambulance without further trace.