Israeli authorities released Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal, who was attacked by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and detained by soldiers.

The director of “No Other Land,” which won the Best Documentary Oscar and shed light on the events in the West Bank that marked this year’s Academy Awards, was released from an Israeli police station in the Kiryat Arba settlement in the West Bank. Ballal, who was attacked and detained along with two other Palestinians, was taken to a nearby hospital. “MY WHOLE BODY HURTS”

“My whole body hurts,” Ballal said in a statement to the Associated Press, adding, “I heard the soldiers’ voices, they were mocking me… I heard the word ‘Oscar’ but since I don’t speak Hebrew, I didn’t understand what they were saying.” Ballal also stated that he was blindfolded for 24 hours at a military base and forced to sleep under a freezing cold air conditioner. Lea Tsemel, the lawyer for the other two Palestinians who were also detained and tortured, mentioned that she was denied access to her clients for hours after they were detained. SETTLERS’ ATTACK

During his detention, Ballal stated in his testimony to the lawyer that he went outside to record settlers’ attacks on houses in the village but upon his return, a well-known settler who had previously threatened him showed up at his door with two soldiers and attacked him. According to Ballal, the soldiers and settler tried to enter his house and threw him on the ground, repeatedly kicking his face and body. “I’M DYING”

Ballal’s wife Lamia stated that she heard her husband shouting “I’m dying!” while hiding inside with their three children, and when she looked out the window, she saw three uniformed men beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles, while another person in civilian clothes was filming the attack. Ballal said, “Of course, they came to attack us more after the Oscar win.” THREAT VIDEO TO BALLAL

A video showing the settler threatening Ballal circulated on social media in April. In the video, masked settlers approached Ballal, yelled insults saying “This is my land, God gave it to me,” and warned “I won’t be this nice next time.” Residents reported that around 20 Jewish settlers, some wearing masks, some armed, and some in military uniform, attacked the village of Susiya in the West Bank on Monday evening. At the time, the villagers were breaking their fast at iftar. NO OTHER LAND

“No Other Land” tells the story of the struggle of residents fighting to prevent the Israeli army from demolishing Palestinian villages in the Masafer Yatta area. The film, a joint Israeli-Palestinian production, has won several international awards, including at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival. Basel Adra, another director of the film and a prominent Palestinian activist in the region, mentioned a significant increase in attacks carried out by settlers and Israeli forces following the Oscar win.