Palestinian activist featured in Oscar-winning movie shot dead during clash with settlers – The Times of Israel
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Israeli settler kills Palestinian activist who worked on Oscar-winning film
Odeh Hathalin was a consultant on “No Other Land,’ a film that documents Israeli settler and military attacks on the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta. He was shot in the village of Umm al-Khair, in that same community. Israeli police said its forces arrived at the scene and detained an Israeli civilian, who was later arrested for questioning. The Israeli military claimed that “terrorists hurled rocks toward Israeli civilians near Carmel,” an Israeli settlement near UmmAlKhair. At least 964 Palestinians have been killed since then by Israeli forces and settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the U.N. The film, which tracked the destruction of the Masser Yatta community between 2019 and 2023, won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars.
Odeh Hathalin, who was a consultant on “No Other Land,” a film that documents Israeli settler and military attacks on the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta, was shot in the village of Umm al-Khair, in that same community.
Israeli police said its forces arrived at the scene and detained an Israeli civilian, who was later arrested for questioning. Police did not identify the man they arrested. The Israeli military claimed that “terrorists hurled rocks toward Israeli civilians near Carmel,” an Israeli settlement near Umm al-Khair.
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Hathalin’s shooting was first reported by Yuval Abraham, the Israeli investigative journalist who co-directed “No Other Land.” Abraham said Hathalin was “shot in the upper body” and was in critical condition. Later, the Palestinian health ministry said he had died of his injuries.
Many settlers are armed, and violence in the West Bank has surged since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. At least 964 Palestinians have been killed since then by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the United Nations.
Settlers have a strong influence on Israeli politics, and in the rare cases where they are arrested for violent attacks against Palestinians, they are often released without charge.
Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
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Ofer Cassif, a left-wing member of Israel’s parliament, has demanded that authorities launch an investigation into Hathalin’s death.
“The incident occurred in broad daylight, in front of cameras, with no fear of legal consequences – testament to the paralysis of law enforcement and the complete sense of immunity enjoyed by violent settlers,” Cassif wrote in a letter to Israel’s Attorney General.
Basel Adra, a Palestinian journalist and a co-director of “No Other Land,” shared testimony to his “dear friend” Hathalin.
“He was standing in front of the community settler in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. This is how Israel erases us – one life at a time,” Adra wrote in a post on Instagram.
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Last month, Hathalin was detained at San Francisco International Airport upon arrival and deported after immigration officials revoked his visa, local media reported. He had been invited to visit a California synagogue as part of an interfaith speaking tour.
CNN reported in March that settlers had also targeted Hamdan Ballal, another co-director of “No Other Land,” outside his home in the village of Susya, also in Masser Yatta. Ballal, who had recently returned from Los Angeles to accept an Oscar for the film, told CNN he thought the group of settlers would kill him. He was detained by Israeli soldiers, handcuffed, blindfolded and beaten.
The film “No Other Land,” which tracked the destruction of the Masser Yatta community between 2019 and 2023, won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars. Its final scene shows Adra’s cousin, Zakara al-Adra, being shot by an Israeli settler in October 2023.
Previous reporting from CNN’s Kara Fox, Kareem Khadder and Jeremy Diamond.
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Israeli settler kills Palestinian activist who worked on Oscar-winning film ‘No Other Land’
Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen was killed in front of a community centre in a village near Hebron, in occupied West Bank. The village was documented in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. The film chronicles the struggle by residents to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their villages in Masafer Yatta. It won Best Documentary at the Berlinale last year and at the Oscars this year. Israeli settler Yinon Levi was previously sanctioned by the US and the European Union in 2024 for his violent attacks on Palestinians.
Local officials have said that an Israeli settler killed Awdah Hathaleen, who helped make No Other Land.
The film, a joint Palestinian-Israeli production directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, chronicles the struggle by residents to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their villages in Masafer Yatta. It won Best Documentary at the Berlinale last year and at the Oscars this year.
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Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham confirmed the tragic news, with Abraham sharing a video on X showing the Israeli settler identified as Yinon Levi breandishing a handgun and shooting.
Abraham described Awdah as “a remarkable activist who helped us film No Other Land in Masafer Yatta”, while Adra said on social media: “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. This is how Israel erases us – one life at a time.”
The Palestinian Authority’s education ministry accused Israeli settlers in the West Bank of killing Hathaleen, writing on social media that he “was shot dead by settlers… during their attack on the village of Umm al-Khair” near Hebron.
Israel’s military said an armed Israeli civilian opened fire at a group of Palestinians after they threw rocks. Israeli police responded to the incident, but no charges have been filed against Yinon Levi.
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Levi was previously sanctioned by the US and the European Union in 2024 for his violent attacks on Palestinians. The Trump administration lifted the sanctions earlier this year. Levi remains under both EU and UK sanctions.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Fifty hostages are still being held, although fewer than half of them are believed to be alive. Israel’s subsequent offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military says nearly 900 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
Israeli settler kills Palestinian teacher who helped make Oscar-winning film
Prominent Palestinian activist and teacher Odeh Muhammad Hadalin was fatally shot by an Israeli settler on Monday in Umm al-Khair village. Hadalin, 31, known widely for his advocacy against the displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta. He played a key role in supporting the production of No Other Land, the Oscar-winning documentary that captured the impact of Israeli military and settler violence on his community. “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,” co-director Basel Adra posted on X. ‘This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time,’ Mr Adra added. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem this week accused Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. Since 20,000 launched a devastating war on Gaza, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The Palestinian Authority’s ministry of education confirmed that he was “shot dead by settlers” during an “attack on the village of Umm al-Khair”.
Hadalin, 31, known widely for his advocacy against the displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, played a key role in supporting the production of No Other Land, the Oscar-winning documentary that captured the impact of Israeli military and settler violence on his community.
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Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, who co-directed the documentary, also confirmed Hadalin’s killing. “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,” Mr Adra posted on X.
Odeh Muhammad Hadalin’s name was sometimes spelt as Awdah Muhammad Hathaleen.
“He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life,” Mr Adra added. “This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
Mr Abraham called Hadalin “a remarkable activist who helped us film No Other Land in Masafer Yatta”. He shared a video of the incident, adding that local “residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter”.
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The Independent could not verify the claim.
The Times of Israel, citing local Hebrew media, reported that one of the Israelis involved in the clash was Yinon Levi. The outlet called him “an extremist settler” who was sanctioned by the US administration of Joe Biden, a measure revoked by Donald Trump’s government.
Israeli police said they were investigating an “incident near Carmel”, a settlement adjacent to the village of Umm al-Khair that Palestinians call Al-Karmil.
In June, Israeli soldiers blocked journalists from travelling to the West Bank villages featured in No Other Land during a trip organised by Mr Abraham and Mr Adra, meant to show growing settler violence.
Palestinian Authority and witnesses said that Hadalin was standing near a community centre when the settler opened fire.
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Hadalin sustained critical injuries to his upper body during the incident and later died at the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
Four Palestinians and two foreigners present during the incident were detained, Al Jazeera reported. Another Palestinian man sustained injuries after he was reportedly assaulted by a settler and taken to a local hospital.
According to the news site Ynet, Levi was carrying out construction work for a new neighbourhood in Al-Karmil when, by his account, dozens of people from Umm al-Khair began throwing stones at him and several other Israelis.
Umm al-Khair lies within Masafer Yatta, a cluster of hamlets south of Hebron that Israel designated as a military training zone decades ago. Residents have since faced repeated demolitions and evictions.
A Palestinian man walks next to a wall covered with sprayed Hebrew slogans following an Israeli settler attack in Taybeh near Ramallah, in occupied West Bank, on 28 July 2025 (REUTERS)
The ongoing legal battle to protect their homes formed the backdrop of No Other Land, which resonated globally for its documentation of the community’s resilience.
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Hadalin’s killing coincides with growing settler violence in the West Bank. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem this week accused Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
In its report, the group documented a sharp increase in settler attacks, ranging from arson and theft to armed assault, often carried out with what they described as state complicity.
Since October 2023, when Israel launched a devastating war on Gaza, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and settlers, according to local health authorities.
Palestinian contributor to Oscar-winning ‘No Other Land’ killed in West Bank settler raid
Palestinian teacher, activist and journalist Awdah Hathaleen was shot and killed on Monday. The 31-year-old was fatally wounded during clashes in the village of Umm Al-Khair. Israeli media identified one of the settlers as Yinon Levi, a far-right extremist. The film “No Other Land,” which documents Palestinian displacement in the occupied West Bank, won the Best Documentary award at this year’s Berlinale and later received an Academy Award for best documentary feature. At least 962 Palestinians, including many civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to official data from the Israeli military.“This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time. My dear friend Awdahs slaughtered this evening. May he rest in peace,’ said the film’s co-director, lawyer and journalist Basel Adra.
The 31-year-old was fatally wounded during clashes in the village of Umm Al-Khair, where a group of Palestinians had reportedly been confronting settlers. Israeli media identified one of the settlers as Yinon Levi, a far-right extremist who had previously been sanctioned by the Biden administration — measures later lifted under US President Donald Trump — though he remains blacklisted by Canada, the UK, and the EU.
Witnesses and reports say Levi allegedly opened fire toward a group of Palestinians near the Carmel settlement, hitting Hathaleen in the upper body. He was rushed to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he died hours later.
Two other Palestinians were reportedly injured. Emergency responders from the Palestinian Red Crescent and Israel’s Magen David Adom were dispatched to the scene.
Israeli police said an Israeli citizen involved in the shooting had been arrested and the incident was under investigation. However, some reports suggested Levi was questioned but not charged. Four Palestinians and two foreign tourists were also detained by Israeli forces, according to a police statement.
Odeh just died. Murdered. https://t.co/rRWqSa48iN — Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
Footage circulating online appears to show Levi brandishing a handgun and firing into the air, with a bulldozer in the background. Another video shows Palestinians attempting to block the bulldozer, disputing early claims that Levi was engaged in authorized construction. Activists say the machinery had crossed into privately owned Palestinian land.
Hathaleen was a frequent contributor to the Israeli magazine +972 and was known for his activism against settler violence and land seizures. He had recently been invited to the US for an interfaith speaking tour organized by the Kehilla Community Synagogue, but was detained and deported along with his cousin Eid upon arrival at San Francisco International Airport, despite holding valid visas.
“Just last month, I joined my Bay Area colleagues in demanding answers after Awdah and his cousin, both holding valid visas, were unjustly detained and deported from SFO,” said US Congresswoman Lateefah Simon in a statement. “The settler who killed Awdah must be held accountable. We cannot and will not support violence. No one should live under the threat of demolition, displacement or death.”
Israeli settlers have murdered our beloved hero, Awdah Hathaleen, from the Um Al-Khair community in Masafer Yatta.
Awdah stood with dignity and courage against oppression.
His loss is a deep wound to our hearts and our struggle for justice.
May he rest in peace.
We will never… pic.twitter.com/mLQiPeDMzd — Issa Amro عيسى عمرو (@Issaamro) July 28, 2025
Tributes poured in following news of his death. “Awdah stood with dignity and courage against oppression,” said Hebron-based activist Issa Amro. “His loss is a deep wound to our hearts and our struggle for justice.”
“No Other Land” co-director, lawyer and journalist Basel Adra, said he “could hardly believe” the news. “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
The film “No Other Land,” which documents Palestinian displacement in the occupied West Bank, won the Best Documentary award at this year’s Berlinale and later received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
About three million Palestinians live in the West Bank alongside nearly half a million Israelis living in settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
At least 962 Palestinians, including many fighters but also many civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
At least 36 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed there in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli data.
Israeli settler kills West Bank activist who worked on Oscar-winning film
An Israeli settler has shot and killed Palestinian activist and teacher Awdah Hathaleen in a village near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, local officials and journalists said. He was well known for his activism, including helping the creators of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. Israeli police acknowledged that they were investigating an “incident near Carmel [al-Karmil]”, an illegal Israeli settlement neighbouring Umm al-Khair. An Israeli citizen was detained at the scene and then arrested by police for questioning,” a police statement said. Israeli soldiers also arrested four Palestinians “in connection with the incident, along with two foreign tourists who were at the Scene’, the police said. The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that a second Palestinian was injured in the attack after being beaten by a settler. B’Tselem released a report on Monday accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It said that there has been an ‘unprecedented spike in daily attacks by settlers, often armed and equipped with full military gear, on Palestinians in the West Bank.
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An Israeli settler has shot and killed Palestinian activist and teacher Awdah Hathaleen in a village near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, local officials and journalists said.
Hathaleen was well known for his activism, including helping the creators of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which documents Israeli settler and soldier attacks on the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.
He “was shot dead by settlers … during their attack on the village of Umm al-Khair”, in Masafer Yatta, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Education wrote on social media late on Monday.
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The two filmmakers behind No Other Land – Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra – also confirmed that the activist was shot and killed.
“My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,” Adra wrote on social media. “He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life,” he said.
“This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
Co-director Abraham described Hathaleen as “a remarkable activist who helped us film No Other Land in Masafer Yatta”.
Abraham also posted a video of the incident and said that “residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter”.
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“This is him in the video firing like crazy,” Abraham said.
Israeli police acknowledged that they were investigating an “incident near Carmel [al-Karmil]”, an illegal Israeli settlement neighbouring Umm al-Khair.
“An Israeli citizen was detained at the scene and then arrested by police for questioning,” a police statement said.
Israeli soldiers also arrested four Palestinians “in connection with the incident, along with two foreign tourists who were at the scene”, the police said.
“Following the incident, the death of a Palestinian was confirmed; his exact involvement in the incident is being verified,” the police added.
The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that a second Palestinian was injured in the attack after being beaten by a settler. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, Wafa added.
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Hathaleen was from Masafer Yatta, a string of Palestinian hamlets located on the hills south of Hebron, where residents have fought for decades to remain in their homes after Israel declared the area an Israeli military “firing” or training zone.
Their efforts to prevent Israeli forces from destroying their homes were the subject of No Other Land, which won best documentary at the Oscars in March.
Hathaleen’s killing comes as Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem released a report on Monday accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
B’Tselem also said that there has been an “unprecedented spike in daily attacks by settlers, often armed and equipped with full military gear, on Palestinians in the West Bank”.
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“These attacks include arson, theft, home invasions and takeovers, armed threats, beatings, and more,” B’Tselem said, and occur with the support of the “Israeli government and law enforcement agencies”.
About 3 million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank, alongside nearly half a million Israelis living in settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that 27-year-old Mohammad Samer Suleiman al-Jamal succumbed to his wounds after being shot by Israeli forces at a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Hebron on Monday night, the Wafa news agency reported. The Israeli forces left Suleiman al-Jamal to bleed to death and prevented ambulance crews from reaching him, Wafa added.
Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. More than 30 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in the occupied West Bank during the same period.