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Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal has returned to his family in Masafer Yatta after being beaten and abducted, according to his No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham. On Monday, Abraham posted on Twitter/X that Ballal had been assaulted by a group of settlers and then taken away by Israeli soldiers. On Tuesday, Abraham shared, “After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family.”

Witnesses told The Guardian that on Monday, a group of mostly teenage settlers interrupted Ramadan celebrations by pushing, shouting, and throwing punches at residents of the West Bank village of Susiya. They were followed later on by a group of masked and armed settlers escorted by Israeli soldiers. According to The Guardian‘s reporting, the group seemed to target Ballal’s house specifically, throwing stones at the building, chasing Ballal to the house, beating him and then handing him over to the military. He was eventually moved to a police station in Kiryat Arba, in the occupied West Bank, where he was held for at least 18 hours. 

In a statement to the outlet, the IDF said, “Last night [Monday], several terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, damaging their vehicles near Susya. Following this, a violent confrontation broke out, involving mutual rock-hurling between Palestinians and Israelis at the scene. IDF and Israeli police forces arrived to disperse the confrontation, at this point, several terrorists began hurling rocks at the security forces. The forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at them, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation. The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel police.”

No Other Land co-director Basel Adra, who was also on the scene, disputed that account in his own statement. “The police were there from the beginning and did not intervene. While the soldiers were pointing their weapons at us, the settlers started attacking the houses of the Palestinians,” he said. “Hamdan tried to protect his family and the settlers attacked him. Soldiers started shooting in the air to prevent anyone to help Hamdan. He was shouting for help. They let the settlers attack him and then the army abducted him.”

News of Ballal’s abduction sparked outcry from some in the film co*munity. The International Documentary Association posted a statement demanding Ballal’s release. Mark Ruffalo, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken supporters of Palestine, co*mented on an IndieWire Instagram post on the subject (via Buzzfeed), “Every film maker and academy member should be acting together in protest. No matter where you stand on this issue this is an attack on our beloved art [form] of film making. Hamden Ballal is a political prisoner and this is an international incident and violation of human rights. Many of us are not surprised by this behavior from the lawless settlers and the IDF at this point. Kill journalists and abducting film makers is not an accident but a design for the eradication of a people and their culture. Free Ballal!”

While Ballal has apparently been freed by Israeli forces, No Other Land—which the Israeli culture minister called “a sad moment for the world of cinema”—has put a target on the back of its Palestinian co-directors. According to The Guardian, Adra experienced a similar attack by masked settlers last February. “We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us,” Adra told the outlet in the wake of Ballal’s abduction. “This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.”