Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was arrested by Israeli soldiers following an attack by a group of armed Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The incident took place in the village of Susya, located in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron. Eyewitnesses, including five Jewish American activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV), reported that around 15 settlers surrounded Ballal’s home, throwing stones at his property, damaging a water tank and his car. Joseph, one of the activists, recounted, "They started throwing stones towards Palestinians and destroyed a water tank near Hamdan’s house."
The settlers reportedly assaulted Ballal, causing injuries before handing him over to the Israeli military. Raviv, another witness, described how the settlers destroyed Ballal’s car, slashing one of its tyres with stones. Although Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene after the settlers had attacked, they reportedly did not intervene to stop the violence. Basel Adra, another co-director of the film, stated, "Hamdan tried to protect his family, but the settlers attacked him."
