"Beaten in custody": Israel releases Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal

Israeli occupation authorities have released Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal, who was beaten and detained by Israeli occupation forces yesterday. "After being handcuffed and beaten overnight at a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and on his way back to his family," wrote Yuval Abraham, the film's Israeli co-director, in a post on the platform X.

"Following the assault, Hamdan was handcuffed, blindfolded, thrown on the ground at a military base all night, and beaten by two soldiers," said his lawyer, Leah Tsemel, who spoke with him shortly before. "He is still being held at the Kiryat Arba police station." — Yuval Abraham (@yuval_abraham) March 25, 2025 Sharing a photo of Hamdan on Instagram, their co-director Basel Adra wrote, "Hamdan has been released and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Hebron.

He was beaten all over his body by soldiers and settlers. The soldiers left him blindfolded and handcuffed at a military base overnight." Ballal was detained from his home in the occupied West Bank village of Susiya, where settlers carried out an attack yesterday. They not only beat him but also vandalized his property, smashed his car windows, and slashed his tires.