Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal, who won an award at this year's Academy Awards (Oscars) for the documentary "No Other Land," was attacked by a group of Israeli settlers at his home in the West Bank on the 24th (local time) and was arrested by the Israeli military.
According to foreign reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP), Yuval Abraham, the producer of "No Other Land," said via X (formerly Twitter) that a group of Israeli settlers attacked Ballal and Israeli soldiers took him away.
Abraham noted that "they assaulted Ballal, and he was bleeding from his head and abdomen," adding that "soldiers invaded the ambulance he called and took him away. There has been no news of him since then."
Basil Adra, co-director of "No Other Land," told CNN that when he received contact from Ballal and arrived at his home in the Suha village in the West Bank, he saw a man being dragged away.
Adra said that at that time, there was a group of Israeli settlers outside Ballal's house, some of whom were throwing stones. He added that Israeli police and soldiers were also nearby, with soldiers firing guns to prevent people from getting close.
In response to questions from AFP regarding this incident, the Israeli military said it was verifying the information.
Ballal co-won the Best Documentary Feature award at the Academy Awards earlier this month for his documentary "No Other Land," which addresses the reality of Palestinian residents living in the West Bank. A Palestinian farmer, he shared his experiences of being threatened by Israeli settlers aiming to seize his home and land.
According to CNN, five American activists from the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Jewish Nonviolence Center," which opposes Israeli settlements in the West Bank, were also attacked by Israeli settlers at the scene where Ballal was arrested on that day.
The organization claimed that dozens of Israeli settlers wielding clubs and knives attacked the village, and there were reports of someone shooting a rifle, but the Israeli soldiers present did not take action to stop them.