'My friend was slaughtered': Palestinian co-director of Oscar-winning doc killed, Israeli whose sanctions Trump had lifted arrested

Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian journalist-activist who co-directed the Oscar-winning 2024 documentary No Other Land, has been shot dead during a settler attack in West Bank. An Israeli man whose sanctions were lifted by US President Donald Trump was seen firing a gun at the time of Hathaleen's killing, and has been arrested.

Palestinian activist killed: What happened in West Bank?

According to multiple reports, Hathaleen, 31, died in an Israeli settler attack in West Bank captured on video on Monday (July 28). The firing by Israeli settlers took place in the village of Umm al-Khair in the occupied West Bank. The video purportedly showed Yinon Levi, an Israeli settler known for repeated attacks on Palestinians and their property, firing a gun at the time of Hathleen's killing. Levi was arrested by Israeli police for questioning, but has not been charged at the time of writing this.

Who was Awdah Hataleen, the Palestinian who helped make an Oscar-winning documentary?

Hathleen had dedicated his life to documenting home demolitions in the West Bank and resisting displacement. An avid football player, he was a resident of Masafer Yatta, which had been threatened for years with forced expulsion by Israeli authorities.

Hathaleen was also a contributing writer to the Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972, where he documented forced expulsions and demolitions in West Bank.

Activists shared the last message Hathaleen sent before being killed. He had said, “The settlers are working behind our houses and … they tried to cut the main water pipe for the community … If you can reach people like the Congress, courts, whatever, please do everything.”

Who is Yinon Levi, who fired at Palestinians in West Bank?

Levi is one of the aggressive West Bank settlers who was sanctioned by former US president Joe Biden. The sanctions were lifted by Trump on his first day back in office in January 2025. Levi remains under UK and EU sanctions for extremist settler violence.

The killing of the Palestinian activist took place after Israeli settlers reportedly drove through village land on a bulldozer, destroying Palestinian property. When a Palestinian resident approached the driver to stop, he was knocked down by the bulldozer blade. Villagers then started throwing stones, and Levi allegedly emerged and started shooting.

Hathaleen, who was standing at a distance, was struck in the chest, according to reports.

‘My dear friend was slaughtered’: Co-director of No Other Land mourns Palestinian activist's death

'My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,” Basel Adra, the co-director of No Other Land, which won Oscar for best documentary feature, shared on social media. He wrote that Awadh 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,” he was quoted in a report in The Guardian.

Confirming the death of a Palestinian, the Israeli military said that an armed Israeli civilian opened fire on people throwing stones. Seven other people were arrested from Umm al-Khair, including two international activists.

Hathaleen could have been in the US, but was denied entry

It has emerged that Hathaleen was denied entry to the US just last month. He and his cousin were turned back at San Francisco International Airport despite having visasfor a peace tour sponsored by faith groups.

“He had come to raise summer camp funds to help give Palestinian children experiencing the unthinkable a semblance of a childhood back home. Instead, he was denied entry," wrote San Francisco supervisor Bilal Mahmood.

“This is an absolute tragedy, and must be condemned,” Mahmood added.