Dutch Police Assault Pregnant Palestinian Refugee’s Wife in Zeist Asylum Center, Video Sparks Outrage

A video of Dutch police officers using force against the pregnant wife of Palestinian refugee Wissam Muqdad in her ninth month has sparked widespread outrage in the Netherlands after the incident was documented inside an asylum seeker shelter in Zeist, near Amsterdam.

“The wife of Palestinian refugee Wissam Maqdad revealed details of being beaten and dragged by Dutch police inside one of the refugee centers while she was pregnant, before giving birth to her daughter later”

Al-Jazeera Net

The footage shows moments of police intervention to arrest a Palestinian refugee inside the center, while his pregnant wife attempted to inquire about his situation and stay by his side before the situation escalated unexpectedly.

Al-Jazeera Net

According to the account tied to the circulating footage, one of the police officers pushed the woman and forcefully knocked her to the ground despite her obvious pregnancy, while her husband tried to intervene to protect her.

The Dutch police announced the opening of a review and investigation into the circumstances of the use of force during the arrest operation inside the asylum seeker center, confirming that the clips circulated on social media show only part of the details of the incident.

Dutch media said the incident occurred on May 29, 2026, inside an asylum seeker center in Zeist after a report of a fight inside the center required police intervention.

A widely circulated video clip on social media captured violent conduct by a Dutch police officer toward a pregnant Palestinian woman inside an asylum-seekers' center during the arrest procedures of her husband, who faces a deportation order.

The video showed several police officers surrounding a man in a corridor of the asylum center before his pregnant wife approached him, and within seconds one officer forcibly pushed her away causing her to fall to the ground.

Arabi21

The Dutch police said their intervention came after a report involving vandalism and threats with a knife, while the article adds that this account has not yet been independently verified.

Activists circulated information that the man arrested is named Wasam Muqaddad, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, who faces deportation from the Netherlands to Egypt.

The Dutch authorities did not publish recordings showing what happened before the moment of arrest, nor did they provide additional details about the circumstances that led to the use of force against the pregnant woman.

The wife of Palestinian refugee Wissam Maqdad, identified as Malak al-Mahmoud, told Al Jazeera that she informed the police of her pregnancy and asked them to treat her gently, but they pushed her and pulled her by force.

“Video footage of Dutch police officers using force against the pregnant wife of a Palestinian refugee in her ninth month has sparked widespread outrage in the Netherlands, after the incident was documented inside an asylum seeker shelter in the city of Zeist, near Amsterdam”

Ukaz

Malak said the consequences of the incident appeared immediately on her health, saying that labor symptoms began shortly after and lasted for several days before she gave birth.

Although the couple confirmed that their daughter was born healthy, the family still lives under total legal ambiguity regarding their status and future in Europe, and the aftermath continues to cast a shadow over their mental state.

Wissam Maqdad said what happened came in a context of psychological and living pressures accumulated due to procedures related to his residence file in the Netherlands after being informed that he would be deported to Egypt and his wife to Germany.

The Dutch police stated they are reviewing the circumstances of the use of force during an arrest carried out inside an asylum seekers center in Zeft after video clips circulated, noting that the footage shows only a portion of the events.