Palestinian Filmmaker Shot Dead by Israeli Settler in West Bank

• Jul 29, 2025

A Palestinian activist and filmmaker who helped document life under Israeli occupation was shot dead by an Israeli settler in the West Bank on Saturday, drawing condemnation and calls for justice.

Odeh Hathalin, a member of the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta, was fatally shot in the chest in the village of Umm al-Khair. He had worked as a consultant on No Other Land, the Oscar-winning documentary that captured the destruction and forced displacement of Palestinians in the area between 2019 and 2023.

Israeli police confirmed they had detained an Israeli civilian following the shooting and later placed him under arrest for questioning. However, the suspect’s identity has not been made public. The Israeli military claimed that “terrorists hurled rocks toward Israeli civilians” near the settlement of Carmel, which lies close to the village where Hathalin was shot.

The incident was first reported by Israeli journalist and No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham, who said Hathalin had been “shot in the upper body” and was in critical condition. The Palestinian health ministry later confirmed that Hathalin had died from his injuries.

The film No Other Land won Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Oscars. Its final scene shows another relative of co-director Basel Adra being shot by a settler. In a tribute posted on Instagram, Adra wrote that Hathalin had been standing peacefully when he was gunned down. “This is how Israel erases us – one life at a time,” he said.

Violence in the West Bank has sharply increased since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. According to the United Nations, at least 964 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since then.

Though settlers are frequently armed, arrests for violence against Palestinians are rare, and those arrested are often released without charge. Jewish settlements in the West Bank remain illegal under international law.

Ofer Cassif, a left-leaning member of Israel’s parliament, urged the Attorney General to investigate the killing. He said the attack took place in broad daylight and was captured on camera. “This shows the total paralysis of law enforcement,” he wrote.

Hathalin had recently been denied entry into the United States and deported after arriving in San Francisco for an interfaith speaking tour. His death has sparked outrage among fellow activists and the global film community.