Renowned Palestinian activist and consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’, Odeh Hathalin, was shot and killed on Monday during a violent incident involving Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Local officials and journalists confirmed the activist’s death, which occurred in the village of Umm al-Khair, part of the Masafer Yatta community that the film chronicles.
Israeli settler Yinon Levi, whose name had appeared on United States and European Union sanctions lists until the President Donald Trump administration lifted his US sanctions earlier this year, was identified as the shooter.
Levi was arrested at the scene but released to house arrest the following day, according to his lawyer.
Israeli police issued a statement, without naming him, saying that a citizen had been detained “for questioning on suspicion of reckless conduct resulting in death and unlawful use of a firearm.”
The first report of the shooting came from Israeli journalist, Yuval Abraham, co-director of No Other Land.
A video Abraham posted on X showed Levi discharging a handgun multiple times during a confrontation with Palestinian villagers.
CNN geolocated the footage to the scene, verifying its authenticity.
In the footage, Levi is seen holding a gun and standing in front of a bulldozer. He appears to scuffle with a villager and shove the person filming, before firing into the air and toward a small group of Palestinians, who then flee.
The target of Levi’s shots is unclear, but another video obtained by CNN showed Hathalin lying on the ground and bleeding.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Hathalin later succumbed to his injuries.
The US State Department had previously accused Levi of leading violent settler groups that “created an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank.”
A 2024 Treasury Department release stated his group attacked civilians, destroyed property, and threatened residents with more violence if they did not vacate their homes.
Since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks last year, violence in the West Bank has sharply increased.
According to the UN, at least 964 Palestinians, including those in East Jerusalem, have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers as of mid-July.
Settlers hold significant sway in Israeli politics. Arrests for violent acts against Palestinians are rare, and those detained are frequently released without charges.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal.
Speaking to CNN, Alaa al-Hathalin, Odeh’s cousin, said Levi “always attacks us.” He described the moment of the shooting, “He came with the gun and started shooting … and shot Odeh in the chest.”
Odeh Hathalin leaves behind three children, aged 5, 3, and seven months.
Levi’s lawyer, Avichai Hajbi, defended his client, claiming the shooting occurred under life-threatening circumstances.
“The investigating unit itself admitted that the shooting was carried out due to a life-threatening situation faced by Yinon Levi and another individual,” Hajbi stated, adding that Levi had been attacked by a “mob throwing stones.”
During a hearing, police described how Levi and a minor had just completed excavation work near the Carmel settlement when they were allegedly attacked.
“The two were attacked by a large number of rioters who threw stones at them in an attempt to harm the minor, who was driving, and the respondent,” police told the court.
They claimed Levi’s use of a firearm led to a fatality and requested an extension of his detention over fears of obstruction of justice. The court denied the petition.
Ofer Cassif, a left-wing member of Israel’s parliament, called for an immediate investigation into Hathalin’s death, describing the killing as a public act with “no fear of legal consequences.”
In a letter to Israel’s Attorney General, Cassif decried what he described as the law enforcement system’s “paralysis” and the “complete sense of immunity enjoyed by violent settlers.”
Co-director of No Other Land and a close friend of Hathalin, Basel Adra, mourned him in a tribute on Instagram.
“He was standing in front of the community settler 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 wrote.
Hathalin was recently deported from the United States after arriving at San Francisco International Airport. His visa was revoked despite his invitation to speak at a California synagogue during an interfaith tour, according to local reports.
Another co-director of No Other Land, Hamdan Ballal, was reportedly targeted by settlers outside his home in Susya, also in Masafer Yatta.
Ballal, who had just returned from Los Angeles after accepting the Oscar, told CNN he believed the settlers would kill him. Instead, he was detained by Israeli soldiers, who allegedly beat and blindfolded him.
The film, which won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars, focuses on the gradual demolition of Masafer Yatta from 2019 to 2023. In its closing scene, Zakara al-Adra, cousin to co-director Basel Adra, is seen being shot by a settler in October 2023.