The Indian theatrical release of Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated feature “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which was planned for this month, is being blocked by the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for political reasons, according to the film’s local distributor.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” — which tells the story of a real 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped inside a car attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza and later found dead — is being censored by the CBFC because “the film is very sensitive,” distributor Manoj Nandwana, who heads Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment, tells Variety.

Nadawana said he screened “The Voice of Hind Rajab” for the CBFC in February, when he submitted the film for censorship approval, and was planning a March 6 Indian release “because we thought it was a good date ahead of the March 16 Oscars.” Instead, the film has not been cleared for release and he was told by a CBFC member that “if it gets released it would break up the India-Israel relationship,” Nadawana said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Israel in late February, where he received a warm welcome, marking the first visit by an Indian premier in the 25 years since the two countries established full diplomatic relations. The visit, which aimed to strengthen economic and technological ties between the two countries, underscored a shift in Israel-India relations under Modi, whose embrace of Israel marks a departure from India’s foreign policy that has historically supported the Palestinians.

“I told them: the India-Israel relationship is so strong that it’s idiotic to think this movie will break it,” Nadawana added, further noting that “The Voice of Hind Rajab” has been released “in the U.S., U.K., Italy, France and many other countries that have a relationship with Israel.”

“But they want to censor it anyway,” the distributor said.

The CBFC did not respond to a request for comment from Variety.

In September, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” elicited more than 20 minutes of thunderous applause when it world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and then went on to win the fest’s Silver Lion. The film has been released in the U.S. by Willa, the production partner’s distribution arm, after other U.S. distributors passed.

This is not the first recent instance of India’s CBFC blocking a release when they deem a film to be politically sensitive. Last year, they halted the release of Indian director Sandya Suri’s Oscar-shortlisted “Santosh” despite the fact that the police procedural — which is set in a fictitious northern Indian state and has Indian caste and religion politics deeply baked into it — had previously secured script approval to shoot in India and tapped into Indian government production incentives.