In brief
Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian director of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” suffered a brutal assault in his home village of Susya, West Bank.
Witnesses reported that he was attacked by a mob of at least 20 masked individuals, primarily teenagers armed with rocks, sticks, and knives, during the evening as residents were observing Ramadan. Eyewitness Joseph Kaplan Weinger, a volunteer with an initiative aimed at safeguarding communities from settler violence, encountered the incident as it unfolded. He recounted attempts to alert Israeli soldiers present nearby, but they reportedly did not intervene, even as the assault continued.The assault occurred just after sunset during Ramadan's first week, when many were breaking their fast. Some assailants shouted mocking blessings during the attack, emphasizing the brutal nature of their actions. By the time Weinger and his companions reached the scene, they found blood on the ground, indicating the severity of Ballal's injuries.Following the assault, Ballal, 37, along with two other Palestinians, was detained by Israeli forces. Leah Zemel, a lawyer representing the detainees, stated that they were being held at a military center for medical treatment prior to questioning, although the reasons for their detention remain unclear.In a statement, the Israeli military described the event as a "violent confrontation," claiming that several "terrorists" hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, which necessitated a response involving mutual rock-throwing.
