Palestinian actor says he can't attend Oscars because of US travel ban

Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said on Friday that a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration is preventing him from attending this weekend's Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role.

"The Voice of Hind Rajab," a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for best international feature film.

Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator attempting to help her, said he cannot attend the Academy Awards show, also known as the Oscars, because he has been barred from entering the United States.

"I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship," Malhees wrote on Instagram, adding that "it hurts" that he would not attend the Oscars.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a December proclamation restricting entry of foreign nationals, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority."

The proclamation restricting entry of people from some countries cited security reasons.

The movie was spurred by an event in which five of Rajab's family members and two ambulance workers who went to save her were also killed by Israeli fire. Israel says the incident is under review.

-Kanishka Singh/Reuters