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November 11, 2025 – Palestine/Austria –
A Dutch court has authorised the extradition of Palestinian journalist Mustafa Ayyash, founder of the news site Gaza Now, to Austria after Austrian authorities presented sufficient grounds for his transfer. Ayyash, who has denied the allegations, fled Austria earlier this year, claiming his pregnant wife was mistreated during a raid on their home.
Ayyash is accused by Austrian prosecutors of financing Hamas through the operations of Gaza Now, a charge that the U.S. and U.K. echoed in sanctions against the outlet in 2024 for purportedly providing material support to Hamas. Since his arrest in the Netherlands on 19 September 2025, a court in Amsterdam evaluated Austria’s request and determined the evidence met the threshold for extradition, without ruling on guilt.
Logging his decades-long career in journalism, Ayyash has operated Gaza Now since 2016 from Austria and subsequently relocated to the Netherlands amid mounting pressure. His supporters argue the charges are politically motivated and emblematic of increasing measures to control media linked to Gaza. His lawyer cited deteriorating mental-health conditions and his confinement in a psychiatric ward as factors to contest the transfer.
Media-freedom organizations and journalistic unions have raised an alarm over the implications of this case. They warn that the extradition of a journalist who reports on conflict zones sets a troubling precedent for press autonomy—particularly when accusations of terrorism or financing militants are used to justify legal proceedings. The association of a media outlet with a designated armed group, without transparent due-process safeguards, risks chilling independent coverage.
This case arrives amid one of the deadliest periods for journalists in the region, including more than 300 media workers killed in recent years. As the extradition process moves forward, Ayyash’s advocates and press-freedom observers call on Austrian and Dutch authorities to ensure full adherence to international standards of journalist protection, the presumption of innocence, and the rights to fair trial and source confidentiality. The outcome will carry significance for the wider battle over journalistic space in conflict-affected and politically charged environments.
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