Odeh Hadhalin, Activist from ‘No Other Land’, Shot Dead by Illegal Israeli Settler
In video footage of the incident, a settler by the name of Yinon Levi – previously placed under international sanctions for extreme violence – is seen wielding a gun at Palestinian villagers.
A Palestinian activist who assisted in the filming of the award-winning documentary No Other Land was shot and killed by an illegal Israeli Jewish settler in an occupied West Bank village on Monday.
According to reports, Odeh Mohammad Khalil al-Hathalin, 31, was shot after a settler opened fire at residents of the Umm al-Khair village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. The residents were trying to defend the village from a group of settlers wanting to enter their private land.
Palestinian activist and participant in the Oscar-winning film, No Other Land, Odeh Hadalin was shot in the chest and killed by an Israeli settler in the Occupied West Bank. The shooter, Yinon Levi, has been under sanctions by both the EU and the US. pic.twitter.com/2jBRaI679b
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 29, 2025
Another Palestinian was wounded when a settler struck him with a hammer, Palestine TV reported.
Sanctioned Settler
In video footage of the incident, an illegal Israeli Jewish settler by the name of Yinon Levi – previously placed under international sanctions for extreme violence – and others are seen trying to enter the village with a digger, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem said on X.
“Several residents try to prevent the group from entering their private land. Levi is seen waving a gun and firing it,” the group stated. “Another settler hits a Palestinian with the digger. Hadhalin was hit by the gunfire and later pronounced dead.”
Yesterday, Palestinian peace activist Awdah Hadhalin was shot and killed in his village by an Israeli settler. Hadhalin was a friend and a partner in the struggle for human rights for all people living between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
He lived in Umm… pic.twitter.com/bqLOwRvxEi
— B’Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) July 29, 2025
The settler in the video footage was sanctioned by the US and the European Union in 2024. The US administration, however, lifted those sanctions when President Donald Trump took office this year.
‘This is How Israel Erases Us’
The directors of No Other Land mourned the killing of Al-Hathalin, who was a teacher and father of three.
“My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community center 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,” Palestinian director Basel Adra said on X.
After killing Odeh, Yinon pointed at his family and instructed soldiers to arrest 4 of them. They are still jailed while he was just released for house arrest. A system which punishes the victims (who are under military law) and rewards the shooter (who is under civilian law) https://t.co/Ro0H2Dkclv
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 29, 2025
Israeli journalist and director, Yuval Abraham, posted “Odeh just died. Murdered.”
He later said on X that after killing Odeh, “Yinon pointed at his family and instructed soldiers to arrest 4 of them. They are still jailed while he was just released for house arrest.”
“A system which punishes the victims (who are under military law) and rewards the shooter (who is under civilian law),” he added.
Ethnic Cleansing
No Other Land is a powerful documentary film that covers a four-year period, from 2019 to 2023, of life under Israeli occupation in Masafer Yatta, centering the struggle against the forced displacement of Palestinian families by the Israeli army through home demolitions, along with attacks from illegal settlers. The 2024 film won Best Documentary Feature Film at the Academy Awards.
Al-Hathleen is the cousin of Alaa Hathleen, also an activist and resident of Masafer Yatta, who was featured on The Palestine Chronicle’s Floodgate Podcast in March.
Alaa spoke about life under military rule, daily realities of displacement, and the community’s unwavering resistance against Israeli forces and settler attacks.
“We suffer from home demolitions and military operations. They do not want us to live here; they want to displace us through different means, including settler violence and demolitions,” Alaa said.
Daily Threat of Settler Violence
Settler violence is a daily threat in Masafer Yatta, and the Israeli authorities offer no protection to Palestinian residents. Instead, they facilitate attacks by ensuring that settlers act with impunity.
“Settlers attack us while the police delay their response as much as possible, waiting until the settlers have finished their destruction before arriving. Sometimes, when we call them, they tell us, ‘Where are the settlers? You are lying,’ and instead of stopping the attackers, they arrest us,” Alaa stated.
Masafer Yatta’s Struggle: Five Takeaways from The FloodGate’s Interview w/ Alaa Hathleen
According to him, Israeli forces acknowledge that the illegal Israeli Jewish settlers are doing something illegal, but say that they cannot stop them.
He said even though “we have filed thousands of complaints, nothing has changed.”
“We are not allowed to defend ourselves,” he continued. “If we try, they will arrest us and throw us in jail. This is our reality.”
‘No Other Land’ Film
Masafer Yatta is one of the longest-standing cases of ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank, yet its people refuse to be erased.
‘No Other Land’ – Powerful Film of Life under Israeli Occupation Wins Oscar
Another Palestinian Killed
Elsewhere in the West Bank on Monday, another Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces.
Mohammad Samer Suleiman Al-Jamal, 27, was shot by Israeli forces at the northern entrance to the city of Hebron (al-Khalil), where they left him bleeding and prevented the ambulance crews from reaching him, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
His killing was later confirmed, and the Israeli army abducted his body, the report noted.
The Palestinian Mohammad Samer Suleiman Al-Jamal (27), who was shot dead by Israeli forces at the northern entrance to Hebron. pic.twitter.com/6J6z4oJsvE
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) July 28, 2025
The Israeli military claimed in a statement that al-Jamal had hurled a brick at troops during an “operational activity” in Hebron, prompting them to open fire under the pretext of removing a threat, according to the Anadol news agency.
Armed Settler Attacks
Elsewhere in the central West Bank, WAFA reported that illegal armed settlers attacked the Manatir and Kisara areas east of the town of Kafr Malik as well as nearby chicken farms. Unarmed villagers confronted the settlers, who opened fire and wounded one man in the hand.
Settler terrorism continues in the West Bank. Taybeh is attacked again. This is not about few radical settlers. This is about the state the funds and protects them. pic.twitter.com/go479fV8XF
— Munther Isaac منذر اسحق (@MuntherIsaac) July 28, 2025
Israeli settlers also began expanding an illegal outpost in the village of Deir Nizam, located northwest of Ramallah, WAFA reported.
The report cited local sources as saying the settlers had set up livestock on the site of the outpost, which is located on village lands.
Burqa
Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers also destroyed and vandalized agricultural crops in the town of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, on Tuesday, according to WAFA.
According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), France has officially designated Israeli settler violence in the West Bank as an act of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/MANDNj0jUd
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 29, 2025
The report said a group of settlers snuck into the town in the early hours and vandalized agricultural crops planted across approximately 24 dunums, as well as destroying irrigation networks and fences surrounding the land.
Salfit
A group of settlers also attacked a number of farmers on Tuesday morning in the village of Farkha, southwest of Salfit, as they attempted to confront settler attacks on their agricultural lands.
⚡️⭕️ A Palestinian man stands his ground, confronting and attempting to expel Israeli settlers encroaching on his land in the village of Farkha, south of Salfit, amid ongoing settlement expansion and land theft in the occupied West Bank.
Occupied Palestine.
29th of July, 2025. pic.twitter.com/53cZSMg6R0— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) July 29, 2025
WAFA reported that the settlers released their sheep to graze on olive-grove lands in the Al-Safaha area, west of the village, before attacking the farmers who tried to prevent them from destroying their crops. The attack occurred under the direct protection of the Israeli occupation forces.
Villages across the governorate have been subjected to near-daily assaults, including attacks on residents and their properties, the burning of crops, and military-imposed road closures restricting movement and access, the report stated.
(PC, WAFA, Anadolu)