Hebron, West Bank. Israeli authorities have released Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal after he was detained following an assault by Jewish settlers outside his home in the occupied West Bank. Ballal, who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was freed alongside two other Palestinians on Tuesday.

Ballal had visible bruises on his face and bloodstains on his clothes when he was released from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. The three were taken to a hospital in Hebron for treatment, according to journalists at the scene. Their lawyer, Lea Tsemel, said they spent the night on the floor of a military base with minimal medical care.

Israeli authorities alleged the detainees had thrown stones at a settler, an accusation they denied. Ballal’s wife, Lamia, said she heard her husband’s cries for help as he was beaten outside their home in the village of Susiya on Monday evening. Residents say about two dozen settlers, some masked and armed, stormed the village during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Soldiers who arrived pointed their weapons at Palestinians while settlers continued throwing stones.

Israeli police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The military said it had detained three Palestinians suspected of throwing rocks and one Israeli involved in what it described as a violent altercation.

No Other Land, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary this year, highlights the struggles of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta against Israeli military demolitions. Since its release, the film has drawn both international praise and backlash, including controversy in the United States.

One of Ballal’s co-directors, Basel Adra, said settler violence and military actions in the region have intensified since the film’s Oscar win. Jewish activists in the area were also targeted on Monday, with masked settlers reportedly smashing car windows and slashing tires.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has since established settlements that house over 500,000 Israelis. The 3 million Palestinians living in the territory are subject to Israeli military rule, while the Palestinian Authority governs urban areas.

Masafer Yatta has been designated a military training zone by Israel since the 1980s, and residents face repeated demolitions of homes and infrastructure. Palestinian communities fear further displacement, especially as settler violence increases amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The conflict has sparked widespread violence across the West Bank, with Israeli military operations killing hundreds of Palestinians and displacing thousands. Settler attacks on Palestinian villages have also risen, with rights groups accusing Israeli forces of turning a blind eye or actively supporting them.

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