Prominent Palestinian Protester in Brussels Dies in Custody

Mahmoud Farajalah, a 26-year-old Palestinian living in Brussels, died after taking his life in a detention center near the Zaventem airport, sparking angry protests and a hunger strike among other detainees.

A prominent face on the daily Palestinian solidarity demonstrations outside the Bourse, a major city square, Farajalah had been arrested three months ago for lacking legal immigration status after a failed attempt to get asylum, activists and a fellow detainee said.

Farajalah’s mother had recently died in Gaza, but he had been denied permission to leave the detention facility to mourn her, according four sources with knowledge of the situation, including Anas Hamam, a Moroccan detainee who had met Farajalah in the “127 Bis” detention center but was transferred to another facility a month ago.

Hamam told The Intercept by phone, “He was such an incredible person, the kindest and the most thoughtful person who I ever met in that center.”

According to Hamam, Farajah was reeling from another asylum rejection when he learned of his mother’s death.

“His brother told him over the phone that his mother had died — apparently in an airstrike,” Hamam said. “He thought that his father had also died as his brother wouldn’t pass the phone to his father. His psychological state was very affected by that.”

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Eight detainees in Belgium’s migration detention camps have now begun hunger strikes, including five in “127 Bis,” one in Vottem, and one in Merksplatz, according to Hamam. 

Many Palestinians are thought to have been held in Belgium’s detention camps, according to activists. At least three were arrested by plainclothes police officers after Bourse demonstrations, according to Hamam.

Last week, Amnesty International called for an investigation into Belgium’s harsh crackdowns on the protesters. Riot police had used tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators in Brussels against Israel’s interdiction of an aid flotilla to Gaza last week.

Belgium’s migration and asylum service confirmed Farajalah’s death, but spokesperson Dominique Ernould declined any further comment citing confidentiality and the privacy of the family.

“The situation is calm in the center,” Ernould said. “The necessary support is being provided to the center’s residents and staff members.”

Asylum Denied

Two sources, including Hamam and a pro-Palestine activist who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said that Farajalah had recently had an asylum claim turned down. He was arrested on the way to a second immigration hearing, Hamam said.

Farajalah got news about his mother the day after his latest asylum rejection.

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Hamam says he helped Farajalah draft a letter to the detention center’s director asking for a short period of release so he could mourn. The request was turned down and Hamam was moved to another detention center, keeping in touch with Farajalah through Instagram messages.  

“He didn’t have papers,” the activist said. “Belgium denied him access to international protection.”

As word of Farajalah’s death spread, Palestine solidarity organizers called for a protest of “fire, rage, noise” outside the detention center on Saturday.

“He had lost his mother,” organizers wrote on an Instagram post. “He had asked to be released so he could mourn. He had written. He had pleaded. The administration ignored him. The system crushed him. Silence killed him.”

A group calling itself “Getting the Voice Out” sent The Intercept a statement saying that other detainees in the facility were outraged by the death.  

“They are starting a hunger strike at the center and have made a flag with his name on it,” the statement said. “They tell us, ‘Today it’s Mahmoud, tomorrow it’s someone else. Security is laughing at us. We have to do something.’”

Activists and a former detainee at “127 Bis” said people held there were routinely denied phone calls and internet access, among other charges.

Ernould, the migration authority spokesperson, denied claims by activists and Palestinian detainees — one of whom has talked to The Intercept — of mistreatment in the detention camps.

“Residents in closed centers are not mistreated,” she said. “They receive all the necessary care: medical and psychological. Residents have the option of receiving phone calls or making phone calls to their loved ones and families outside the facility.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers 24-hour support for those experiencing difficulties or those close to them, by chat or by telephone at 988.

Correction: October 7, 2025, 4:23 p.m. ET
This story has been updated to remove an errant reference to Farajalah’s arrest after a protest. He was arrested on his way to an immigration hearing.