, March 14 -- Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees says he will not be able to attend this weekend's Academy Awards due to a US travel ban affecting Palestinian citizens.

Malhees plays a call centre operator in the film The Voice of Hind Rajab, which has been nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. The movie tells the story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024.

The actor said he cannot travel to the United States because people holding Palestinian citizenship are currently barred from entering the country.

"I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship," Malhees wrote in a post on Instagram, adding that it "hurts" not to be able to atten...