Palestinian activist, employed on an Oscar-winning film, fatally stabbed by Israeli settler
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 29, 2025, Odeh Hathalin, a prominent Palestinian activist and consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, lost his life after being shot by a Jewish settler in the village of Umm al-Khair.
The tragic incident took place during a series of attacks by Israeli settlers on the village. According to witnesses and video footage, Hathalin was shot in the upper body, specifically in the lungs, and later succumbed to his injuries. The perpetrator was identified as Yinon Levi, a settler who is sanctioned by both the EU and the US.
During the same incident, another Palestinian resident was beaten and hospitalized. The Israeli Police detained and arrested Levi for questioning following the attack.
The Palestinian Authority and international observers, including France, condemned the killing as an act of settler terrorism, highlighting a broader pattern of violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. France, in particular, called for accountability by Israeli authorities to end impunity for such attacks.
While the Israeli military stated that Palestinians had thrown rocks towards Israeli civilians nearby, video evidence and eyewitness accounts support the version that Hathalin was deliberately shot by a settler during settler attacks on the Palestinian village.
This incident is not an isolated event in the ongoing violence by settlers in the West Bank against Palestinians. Since October 7, 2023, at least 964 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, according to the United Nations.
Odeh Hathalin, aged 31, was a consultant on No Other Land, a documentary that tracks the destruction of the Masser Yatta community between 2019 and 2023. His death was first reported by Israeli investigative journalist Yuval Abraham, and was later confirmed by the Palestinian health ministry.
The shooting of Hathalin was the final scene of No Other Land, where Zakara al-Adra was shown being shot by an Israeli settler in October 2023. Another co-director of the documentary, Hamdan Ballal, was targeted by settlers outside his home in Masser Yatta last month.
In response to Hathalin's death, Ofer Cassif, a left-wing member of Israel's parliament, has demanded an investigation. Basel Adra, another co-director of No Other Land, shared a testimony about Hathalin's death on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Odeh Hathalin was in critical condition after being shot in the upper body. Prior to his death, he was deported from San Francisco International Airport in March, after his visa was revoked upon arrival.
The Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. Despite this, the continued violence and loss of life highlight the urgent need for accountability and peace in the region.
- The tragic death of Odeh Hathalin, a consultant on the documentary No Other Land, occurred in the Middle East, specifically in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where he was shot by a Jewish settler in the village of Umm al-Khair.
- In the general news, reports of war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice persistently surface from the West Bank, with Odeh Hathalin's death being one of many instances of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers.
- The political implications of this ongoing violence have garnered international attention, with France calling for accountability by Israeli authorities to end impunity for such attacks, as highlighted by the recent condemnation of Hathalin's killing as an act of settler terrorism.
