A Maastricht University student from Gaza appears not to have said “This is me” in an Instagram video showing masked fighters on an Al Jazeera broadcast. Arabic speakers and translator Rahma Bavelaar said he appears to use the Gazan Arabic expression “tasheshni,” which can mean something like “take me outside,” although the poor audio makes the wording difficult to establish with certainty. The student, represented by the European Legal Center, denies recognising himself or acknowledging involvement in Hamas or the attacks of 7 October 2023.

The video had prompted media reports that the student had been suspended after the Centre for Information and Documentation Israel shared it and described it as glorifying terrorism. Maastricht University later reversed the suspension, calling the matter a misunderstanding. The Public Prosecution Service concluded in early October that there was no reason to believe the student had been involved in the attacks. The student arrived in the Netherlands in June with a group of 47 Palestinians who had work or study visas, and parliamentary questions about his presence were answered by the Minister for Asylum and Migration with reference to that conclusion.