At Sunday night’s Oscars, The Voice of Hind Rajab — the docudrama about emergency dispatchers’ attempts to save a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was, as determined by forensic analysis, killed by Israeli forces in 2024 — is nominated for Best International Feature. But one of its stars will not be there, thanks to the Trump administration’s travel ban on Palestinians. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Motaz Malhees — who plays Omar A. Alqam, the dispatcher who took Hind’s call after her family was killed in the attack while fleeing Gaza City — said he will be unable to attend the awards ceremony due to his Palestinian citizenship.
“Three days left to the Oscars. Our film The Voice of Hind Rajab is nominated for an Academy Award. I had the honor of playing one of the lead roles in a story the world needed to hear,” Malhees wrote. “But I will not be there. I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship.”
In December 2025, Trump signed an executive order banning people from a number of countries from entering the U.S., including anyone with a Palestinian passport. Malhees said being unable to attend the ceremony “hurts.” “But here is the truth. You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice,” he said. “I am Palestinian, and I stand with pride and dignity. My spirit will be with the Voice of Hind Rajab that night. Good luck to all of you. Our story is bigger than any barrier, and it will be heard.”