Palestinian Activist From Oscar-Winning Film Shot Dead in West Bank

A Palestinian activist who featured in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land was shot and killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, sparking outrage and international attention.

Odeh Hadalin, a resident of the southern West Bank village of Umm Al Khair, was gunned down on Monday during a settler raid, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Ministry. The activist was known for his efforts in resisting evictions and demolitions in Masafer Yatta — an area often spotlighted in the ongoing land disputes between Palestinians and Israeli authorities.

Hadalin’s story, and that of others resisting displacement in the region, formed the core of No Other Land, which took home the Oscar for Best Documentary earlier this year. The film was co-directed by both Israeli and Palestinian activists, including Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra.

Abraham shared a harrowing video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), writing:

> “An Israeli settler just shot Odeh Hadalin in the lungs. Residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter.”

Israeli media also reported that the alleged shooter was Yinon Levi — a known far-left settler sanctioned under the Biden administration but later removed from the list under Donald Trump.

Basel Adra, a fellow co-director of the film and a friend of Hadalin, took to social media with a heartbreaking message:

“My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening... 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 Israeli police confirmed they’re investigating the “incident near Carmel,” a nearby settlement, and stated:

“An Israeli citizen was detained at the scene and then arrested by police for questioning.”

They added that the victim’s “exact involvement in the incident is being verified.”

Police also arrested four Palestinians and two foreign tourists present at the scene. The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that another Palestinian was injured, allegedly beaten by a settler.

Hadalin’s death arrives at a time when Israeli human rights groups, including B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Their latest report, published the same day as the incident, also condemns escalating violence in the West Bank.

With nearly 3 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank — and around 500,000 Israeli settlers residing in what international law considers illegal settlements — tensions in the area continue to mount.