Hamdan Ballal, who was one of four co-directors of No Other Land, had his house surrounded by settlers during an attack on Monday in the village of Susya.
The violence, witnessed by his colleague Basel Adra, has sparked accusations of retaliation against the filmmakers. This incident highlights the ongoing tensions between settlers and Palestinian villagers.
Five Jewish American activists reported that around a dozen masked settlers launched an attack in the village of Susya. The activists had visited the village to record what was happening, but they ended up being attacked themselves. The settlers broke the windows of their car and physically assaulted them with punches and sticks.
Reports indicate that Israeli settlers surrounded the home of a resident named Mr. Ballal in the occupied West Bank. The military alleged that a group of individuals threw rocks at Israeli civilians, causing damage to their vehicles. They also claimed that rocks were thrown at their soldiers by Palestinians during the incident.
The military confirmed that an Israeli civilian was injured and received medical assistance as a result of the confrontation. Furthermore, Israeli settlers attacked Hamdan Ballal in the same village, resulting in head and stomach injuries. Israeli soldiers later removed Ballal from an ambulance and detained him.
His co-director, Yuval Abraham, shared details about the incident on social media. For several hours after his arrest, Ballal’s whereabouts REMAINED UNKNOWN. Without naming Mr. Ballal, the Israel Defense Forces said three Palestinians and an Israeli had been detained after being suspected of “rock hurling” at security forces.
However, the Palestinian news agency WAFA confirmed that four Palestinians were injured during the incident. Lawyer Leah Tsemmel mentioned that the Police said Ballal was receiving medical care at a military facility, but she was unable to speak to him directly.