Wife Of Detained Columbia Activist Khalil Slams US Claims ‘Disgusting And False’

The wife of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has rejected US claims implicating her husband in Hamas, terming them “ridiculous” and “disgusting.” Pregnant Noor Abdalla refuted accusations made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that Khalil was handing out Hamas leaflets, saying no evidence had been brought forward to substantiate the claim.

Khalil, a past Columbia University graduate student, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8 and is now being held in Louisiana. His detention occurs as President Donald Trump has escalated the crackdown on student activists who had taken part in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s Gaza war. Trump has claimed that these protesters have been involved in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity,” yet no evidence has been given.

Khalil, formerly the student protesters’ spokesmen, has called himself a “political prisoner” and asserts that his detention is a direct consequence of the exercise of free speech. A US district judge put his deportation on hold temporarily on March 10, eventually extending the stay. The Trump administration seeks to deport Khalil using a little-known immigration law authorizing the deportation of non-citizens who have “adverse foreign policy consequences.”

While Khalil originally had a student visa, he is now a legal permanent US resident. Abdalla contended that her husband’s activism stems from humanitarian grounds, saying, “He just doesn’t want his people to be murdered.”

At the same time, Gaza’s health ministry says that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 113,000 injured since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023. A recent surge came after Israel shattered a near two-month truce, leaving more than 670 others dead.