Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees has said he will not be able to attend this weekend’s Academy Awards because of a US travel ban affecting Palestinian citizens.
Malhees appears in The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. In the movie, he plays a call centre operator involved in the story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed during Israeli military operations in Gaza in 2024.
The actor said he cannot travel to the United States because individuals holding Palestinian citizenship are currently restricted from entering the country.
“I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship,” Malhees wrote in an Instagram post, adding that it “hurts” not to attend the prestigious ceremony.
The film is based on an incident in which five members of Hind Rajab’s family and two ambulance workers who attempted to rescue her were also killed. Israeli authorities have said the case is under review.
The travel restriction stems from a proclamation issued in December by US President Donald Trump limiting the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or approved by the Palestinian Authority. The order cited security concerns.
The US Department of State did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Malhees’s statement.
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