Activist featured in Oscar-winning film shot dead by Israeli settler

The National

6 days ago

A Palestinian activist featured in the Oscar-winning film "No Other Land" was killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, local authorities and journalists said.
The Palestinian Authority's education ministry said Odeh Hadalin "was shot dead by settlers... during their attack on the village of Umm al-Khair" near Hebron, in the south of the occupied territory.
Hadalin was an activist from Masafer Yatta, a string of hamlets located on the hills south of Hebron, which have been declared a military zone by Israel. His and other activists' efforts to prevent Israeli forces and settlers from destroying their homes was the subject of "No Other Land", which won Best Documentary at the Oscars in March.
Its Israeli co-director, Yuval Abraham, posted a video on X showing a man with a gun in his hand arguing with a group of people, while shouts can be heard in Hebrew and Arabic.
"An Israeli settler just shot Odeh Hadalin in the lungs," he wrote in the caption. "Residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter," he added.
Israeli media outlets also identified the shooter as Yinon Levi, an extremist settler who the US, under the Biden administration, had placed sanctions on. The measures were then lifted by US President Donald Trump.
'My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,' Palestinian journalist Basel 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.'
Mr Abraham and Mr Adra shared director credits, along with Hamdan Ballal, for the award-winning film.
The Israeli police earlier said it was investigating an "incident near Carmel," a 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.
Palestinian Wafa news agency also reported that a second Palestinian was injured in the attack after being beaten by a settler.
About three million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank alongside nearly half a million Israelis living in settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
Hadalin's death comes as prominent Israeli human rights groups released a report on Monday accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The two groups, B'tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI), also condemned Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied territory since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023, according to Wafa. 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.