A court in the Netherlands has ruled imprisoned Palestinian journalist Mustafa Ayyash can be extradited to Austria, after he fled the country earlier this year, claiming Austrian authorities raided his home and abused his pregnant wife.
Ayyash, the founder of the news site Gaza Now, escaped to Austria after he lost relatives during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. He had been living in Austria since 2016, but says he was forced to flee to the Netherlands after Austrian authorities raided his house and physically abused his pregnant wife.
“He was actually in Gaza when the house of his family was bombed, and they think, his relatives believe, that he was actually targeted as a journalist for doing his job,” Al Jazeera’s Step Vassen reported from Amsterdam following the Dutch court’s ruling. “Many of his family members passed away.”
Austria has accused Ayyash of financing Hamas after Gaza Now asked for donations for humanitarian efforts in Gaza. United States and United Kingdom authorities also sanctioned Gaza Now in 2024 over its fundraising efforts, accusing the media site of “having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hamas.”
Ayyash has been imprisoned in the Netherlands since September 19. A Dutch court ruled on Tuesday that Austrian authorities had presented enough evidence to justify Ayyash’s extradition. However, judges in Amsterdam did not rule on whether or not Ayyash was guilty of the charges.
Ayyash has denied the accusations. If convicted for “terrorism” in Austria he could face up to 10 years in prison.
In his fight against extradition, Ayyash’s lawyer cited his deteriorating mental health, noting that the journalist is currently being housed in the psychiatric ward of the prison where he is being held.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 300 journalists and media workers, including 10 from Al Jazeera, as of October 10, 2025. Israel has long repeated unfounded claims that the journalists it has attacked are members of Hamas to justify those strikes.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians and wounded 170,694 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
