Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ consultant Awdah Hathaleen killed by Israeli settler
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Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ consultant Awdah Hathaleen killed by Israeli settler
Awdah Hathaleen, 31, a Palestinian community leader, died Monday after an Israeli settler allegedly shot him to death in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred in in the village of Umm al-Khair, in the Masafer Yatta region that was the focus of “No Other Land.” Israeli police said they responded to the scene, detaining and arresting an Israeli citizen. Police did not identify the detainee they took in for questioning, and claimed “terrorists hurled rocks toward” the nearby Israeli settlement of Carmel. Five Palestinians and two foreign tourists were also detained for their alleged involvement in Monday’s incident, the BBC reported. In March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was beat in his stomach by settlers in the area. He was released a day later with bruises on his face and blood on his clothes after he recalled “the voice of Israeli soldiers’” As he recalled it, he said the soldiers were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Awdah Hathaleen a Palestinian community leader who was a consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” died Monday after an Israeli settler allegedly shot him to death in the occupied West Bank.
“No Other Land” filmmaker and subject Yuval Abraham announced his colleague’s death Monday, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “[Hathaleen] just died. Murdered.” Two hours prior, Abraham shared video of the confrontation that led to Hathaleen’s death. In the video, the settler in a dark shirt can be seen shoving people in a group, pulling out and pointing his pistol in their direction. The video shows him firing at people off-screen.
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In the caption of his video, Abraham writes that the settler “just shot” Hathaleen in the lungs and identified the shooter as Yinon Levi. Levi was among the 13 hard-line Israeli settlers targeted last year by international sanctions for their alleged attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the West Bank. President Trump lifted U.S. sanctions against the Israelis in January.
“This is him in the video firing like crazy,” Abraham tweeted.
The incident occurred in in the village of Umm al-Khair, in the Masafer Yatta region that was the focus of “No Other Land.” Hathaleen was rushed to a hospital in Israel, where he was pronounced dead, his family confirmed to the New York Times. He was 31.
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According to multiple reports, Israeli police said they responded to the scene, detaining and arresting an Israeli citizen. Police did not identify the detainee they took in for questioning, and claimed “terrorists hurled rocks toward” the nearby Israeli settlement of Carmel, according to CNN. Additionally, the Israeli military detained five Palestinians and two foreign tourists for their alleged involvement in Monday’s incident, the BBC reported.
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The IDF did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for confirmation on Tuesday.
“No Other Land” filmmaker and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra on Tuesday tweeted video showing the attack from another angle. In this video, Levi is seen with the pistol in his right hand, smacking a person in front of him. The clip also sees Levi raising his right arm and firing off-screen. Adra says Levi “fires the bullet that took” Hathaleen’s life, adding in his caption that “the apartheid court decided to release him to house arrest.”
On Monday, Adra tweeted he was in disbelief about his friend’s death: “My dear friend Adwah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community center in his village where a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
On Instagram, the Center for Jewish Nonviolence described Hathaleen as a well-known community figure: “an activist, artist, and teacher in the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta.” The activist group reminded Instagram followers that last month Hathaleen and another Palestinian man were denied entry, detained overnight and deported back to the West Bank when they arrived at the San Francisco International Airport.
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“So many in our community knew Awdah, and gained so much by learning from him, and being his friend,” the organization said, concluding its statement with a call to action. “May Awdah’s memory be a revolution. May we see justice for Awdah, and justice for all Palestinians, within our lifetime.”
Earlier this year, Israeli settlers brutalized another member of the Oscar-winning “No Other Land” team. In March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was beat in his head and stomach by settlers in the village of Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Palestinian residents said the settlers, some wearing masks, some carrying guns and some wearing military uniforms, attacked as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to the Associated Press. Israeli military and police forces detained the filmmaker on suspicion of hurling rocks at IDF and police.
He was released a day later, with bruises on his face and blood on his clothes. As he recalled hearing “the voice of soldiers laughing at me,” his wife said she felt the international attention surrounding “No Other Land’s” Oscar win prompted settlers to “attack us more.” The harrowing documentary , which became the subject of controversy in Miami Beach earlier this year, documents Israel’s demolition of Palestinian villages in Masafer Yatta and the displacement of their communities in favor of Israeli military training grounds.
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Since Israel launched its war against Hamas nearly two years ago, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday. At least 77 were killed over the past 24 hours, most while seeking food.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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LONDON: Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian teacher, activist and journalist who contributed to the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was shot and killed on Monday during a raid by Israeli settlers in the South Hebron Hills, according to local media reports.
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.
“No Other Land” Consultant Awdah Hathaleen Killed by Israeli Settler in West Bank
Palestinian activist and community leader Odeh Hathalin, also known as Awdah Hathaleen, has been shot dead by an Israeli settler in the Occupied West Bank. Hathalin worked with directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham on their Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” The director added the assailant had been identified by local residents as Yinon Levi, who is among a group of Israeli settlers operating in the West Bank, who have been sanctioned by the UK and the EU. Israel declared much of the land they are situated on a live-fire training zone in the 1980s, with their inhabitants coming under further pressure from the construction of illegal Israeli settlements.
In a post on X, Israeli journalist and documentarian Abraham said that Hathalin was shot in the chest on Monday by an Israeli settler.
The director added the assailant had been identified by local residents as Yinon Levi, who is among a group of Israeli settlers operating in the West Bank, who have been sanctioned by the UK and the EU, while Donald Trump rescinded restrictions at the beginning of his presidency this year.
The post also featured footage of Levi brandishing a gun and firing wildly, although it was not clear whether the images were related to the incident in which Hathalin was killed.
Israeli media reported that Levi was arrested by Israeli police on Monday on suspicion of fatally shooting Hathalin, but was released on house arrest on Tuesday, while investigations continued.
“No Other Land,” which won the Best Documentary Academy award this year, documents the cycle of destruction and harassment on a collection of hamlets and their Bedouin communities which lie on the Palestinian West Bank side of the 1949 Green Line.
Their future has been at stake since Israel declared much of the land they are situated on a live-fire training zone in the 1980s, with their inhabitants coming under further pressure from the construction of illegal Israeli settlements on their doorstep such as Carmel and Ma’on.
Hathalin has been described as a father of three, English teacher and activist hailing from the village of Umm Al-Kheir, who supported journalists visiting the area and also took part in in the filming of “No Other Land.”
“I can hardly believe it. My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening.He was standing in front of the community center 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,” wrote No Other Land co-director Adra on his X account, attaching an image of them together in Rome.
Hathalin’s murder comes amid growing violence settler across the entire West Bank in recent months and sparked been widespread condemnation.
France’s Ministry For Europe and Foreign Affairs put out a statement on Tuesday voicing the country’s “immense sadness” on learning of “the murder” of Odeh Hathalin.
“France condemns this murder in the strongest possible terms, as well as all the deliberate violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against the Palestinian population, which has been increasing across the West Bank, particularly in Kafr Malik and the Christian village of Taybeh in recent weeks,” read the statement.
“This violence constitutes an act of terrorism. Settlers have killed more than 30 people since the beginning of 2022. Israeli authorities must take responsibility and immediately punish the perpetrators of this violence, which continues with impunity, and protect Palestinian civilians,” it added.
Palestinian Activist Featured in ‘No Other Land’ Shot and Killed in Clash With Israeli Settlers
Awdah Hathaleen, 31, was a journalist from the small village of Umm al-Khair in the southern West Bank. His footage helped shape “No Other Lan,” a 2024 documentary that won Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. Israeli police detained Yinon Levi, a settler who owns an unauthorized outpost near Hebron, on suspicion of reckless conduct resulting in death. Levi’s lawyer argued that his client fired his weapon in self-defense after being confronted by Palestinians throwing stones.
Video footage shot by 31-year-old Awdah Hathaleen, a journalist from the small village of Umm al-Khair in the southern West Bank, helped shape “No Other Lan,” a 2024 documentary that won Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards earlier this year. The film was co-directed by Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham.
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Hathaleen was fatally wounded near his home during the clash with settlers and pronounced dead at an Israeli hospital, his family told the Times. Israeli police detained Yinon Levi, a settler who owns an unauthorized outpost near Hebron, on suspicion of reckless conduct resulting in death and unlawful use of a firearm.
Levi’s lawyer had argued that his client fired his weapon in self-defense after being confronted by Palestinians throwing stones, and a judge released him Tuesday to house arrest. The Times reported that it had verified a video in which Levi is seen waving a gun as he tussles with a Palestinian; stones fly overhead before Levi cocks his pistol and fires.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Levi earlier this year, citing repeated acts of violence and intimidation against Palestinians. Levi, who runs an earthworks company, has reportedly worked alongside Israeli military to bulldoze Palestinian structures.
“I can hardly believe it,” Adra wrote on his X account. “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening.He was standing in front of the community center 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.”
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Roughly 2.7 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers. Though both populations live under Israeli control, settlers are generally subject to civilian law, while Palestinians remain under military rule.
The post Palestinian Activist Featured in ‘No Other Land’ Shot and Killed in Clash With Israeli Settlers appeared first on TheWrap.
‘No Other Land’ contributor Odeh Hadalin shot and killed by Israeli settler, director says
Odeh Hadalin was a consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. He was shot and killed by an Israeli settler yesterday, according to reports. Local residents identified Yinon Levi, a settler who has previously been placed under European Union and United States sanctions, as the shooter. Levi has been ordered to remain under house arrest by the Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court under supervision of his wife and sister-in-law until Friday (August 1) Back in March, weeks after the film’s Oscar win, another of the co-directors, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by the Israeli military. The Academy issued an apology for not supporting Ballal. The film premiered worldwide as part of the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024.
Hadalin, also known as Awdah Hathaleen, was a consultant on the film, which was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of a Palestinian community, Masafer Yatta, in the West Bank.
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Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, one of the directors of the film, was the first to report the news. Yesterday (July 28), he posted on X (Twitter) that Hadalin had been shot in the lungs, and two hours later he quoted his original post, adding, “Odeh just died. Murdered.”
He claimed that local residents identified Yinon Levi, a settler who has previously been placed under European Union and United States sanctions, as the shooter, and the Times of Israel reported today that Levi has been ordered to remain under house arrest by the Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court under supervision of his wife and sister-in-law until Friday (August 1).
Odeh just died. Murdered. https://t.co/rRWqSa48iN — Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
Per reports from Israeli news outlets, the shooting occurred when residents tried to stop settlers from entering land near the West Bank village of Umm al-Khair.
Back in March, weeks after No Other Land’s Oscar win, another of the film’s co-directors, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by the Israeli military. He was released a day later and reflected on the experience the following month in a New York Times op-ed, describing it as the “worst moment” of his life.
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“I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away,” he said. “My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died.”
The Academy issued an apology for not supporting Ballal, with Abraham writing on X: “Sadly, the U.S. Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers.”
Not long afterwards, The Academy released a statement condemning “harming artists”, but didn’t name any specific person.
Over 800 Academy members signed a letter criticising its failure to defend Ballal publicly, including actors Mark Ruffalo, Olivia Colman, Joaquin Phoenix, Riz Ahmed, Penélope Cruz, Emma Thompson, Natasha Lyonne, Javier Bardem, Sandra Hüller, Richard Gere, Andrea Riseborough and Susan Sarandon.
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The film premiered worldwide as part of the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, and it won both the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award. At the Oscars in March this year, it won Best Documentary Feature Film, and Abraham, Ballal and their fellow directors, Basel Adra and Rachel Szor, were praised for their speech.
Adra said, upon accepting the award: “About two months ago I became a father and my hope to my daughter [is] that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing surveillance, home demolitions and forced displacements that my community is living and facing every day under the Israeli occupation.
“No Other Land reflects the harsh reality that we’ve been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”