Israeli settlers beat up one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary film No Other Land in the occupied West Bank before he was detained by the Israeli military, according to witnesses.

The film-maker Hamdan Ballal was one of three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya on Monday, according to lawyer Leah Tsemmel. 

Police told her they are being held at a military base for medical treatment and she said she has not been able to speak with them.

Basel Adra, another co-director, witnessed the detention and said around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns, some in Israeli uniform — attacked the village. Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones.

“We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us,” Adra told The Associated Press. 

“This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.”