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Mahmoud Khalil
PROFILE UPDATE - MARCH 12, 2025
- In March 2025, Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which reportedly revoked his student visa. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization."
- Khalil has been leading anti-Israel protests at Columbia since at least October 12, 2023—just days after Hamas’ attack on Israel. That day, he led a rally where activists chanted “From the river to the sea,” a slogan condemned by the U.S. House of Representatives as antisemitic and used by Hamas to call for Israel’s destruction.
- Khalil is a leader of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group (CUAD), the current home for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), after they were suspended for pro-terror activities. It is now a coalition of “over 80 student groups."
- Khalil openly justified Hamas terrorism, speaking as a CUAD representative in a video posted on X. He stated, "We’ve tried armed resistance, which is legitimate under international law, but Israel calls it terrorism."
- On October 7, 2024, the first anniversary of Hamas’ terror attack where they murdered 1,200 Israelis, Khalil held a leadership role in a CUAD-organized pro-Hamas protest at Columbia. The next day, CUAD defined this protest by their desire to "bring the war home"—a phrase tied to the movement's broader strategy of bringing about the downfall of the USA. For more information on their war on America, see Canary Mission’s campaign “Bringing the War Home.”
- CUAD's members wrote on August 16, 2024, that they "must work hard to weaken US imperialism.” The New York Post also reported on March 9, 2025, that Khalil's group seeks the "total eradication of Western civilization."
- On March 24, 2024, CUAD co-organized a pro-terror event titled “Palestinian Resistance 101,” featuring Khaled Barakat, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization.
- Khalil has acted as a lead negotiator for CUAD during several major incidents in 2024 and 2025.
- In April 2024, Mahmoud Khalil acted as a lead negotiator for the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia on behalf of CUAD. The Columbia encampment was a violent, pro-Hamas stronghold where activists took over buildings, held workers hostage, and chanted for Israel’s destruction. Police found weapons and antisemitic propaganda, while Jewish students faced harassment and threats.
- Khalil served as a negotiator after pro-Hamas agitators occupied the library lobby at Barnard College on March 5, 2025, in protest of students suspended for "interrupting a 'History of Modern Israel' class on Jan. 21 and distributing fliers, including one that showed a jackboot squashing a Jewish star." The takeover was organized by CUAD. During the protest, anti-Israel activists reportedly shared posters that read: "DEATH TO AMERICA," writing the same message on the library's guest book. Classes were reportedly disrupted and the police were sent to the location citing a "bomb threat."
Mahmoud Khalil’s Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia) & Arrest for Pro-Hamas Activities
Mahmoud Khalil participated in the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia in April 2024 as a lead negotiator [00:36:30] on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an anti-Israel student coalition. He has also expressed support for Hamas terrorism as a CUAD representative.
CUAD is a coalition of “over 80 student groups working toward the goal of collective liberation.” CUAD is part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The group's demands included “a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, divestment from Israel…and to reinstate” the pro-terror campus groups Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) after the Columbia administration suspended them. CUAD members have also declared that their goal is "to weaken US imperialism” and the "total eradication of Western civilization."
In March 2025, Khalil was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which reportedly revoked his student visa. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization." Khalil was scheduled to appear before a federal immigration judge.
On October 7, 2024, the first anniversary of Hamas’ terror attack on Israel, Khalil participated in a leadership role in a pro-Hamas protest organized by CUAD at Columbia. The next day, CUAD wrote that it was necessary to "bring the war home."
For more information on the anti-Israel movement’s war on America, check Canary Mission’s campaign “Bringing the War Home.”
On March 5, 2025, Khalil served [video 1] as a negotiator, after pro-Hamas agitators occupied the library lobby at Barnard College in support of students suspended for "interrupting a 'History of Modern Israel' class on Jan. 21 and distributing fliers, including one that showed a jackboot squashing a Jewish star." The takeover was organized by CUAD. During the protest, anti-Israel activists reportedly shared posters that read: "DEATH TO AMERICA," writing the same message on the library's guest book. Classes were reportedly disrupted. The police were sent to the location, citing a "bomb threat," making a series of arrests.
On March 24, 2024, CUAD co-organized a pro-terror event that hosted Khaled Barakat, a leader of a foreign terror organization. The event was titled: “Palestinian Resistance 101.” The event also featured Charlotte Kates and Nerdeen Kiswani. Kates and Barakat are the heads of Samidoun, an organization banned in Germany and Israel for its ties to terrorism and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Kiswani is the head of Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a pro-terror activist group responsible for the disruptive protests across New York City.
Mahmoud Khalil's Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia
On April 24, 2024, the New York chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) posted on Instagram: “THE PEOPLE’S (POPULAR) UNIVERSITY FOR PALESTINE: For the past week, students at Columbia’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment have put on alternative programming for those joining on the lawns, from teach-ins to cultural performances…” The post included a video in which Khalil appeared [00:00:31] dancing at the encampment, alongside other anti-Israel activists.
On April 26, 2024, the New York Post reported: “The anti-Israel tent encampment at Columbia University is being led by a cohort of controversial student leaders…these students are the ones negotiating directly with leaders of the Ivy League university – holding campus hostage with dozens of tents and hundreds of protesters splayed out on the lawn…” The article quoted Khalil saying: “The university understood that we cannot operate on timelines. We cannot operate under time pressure.”
In an April 27, 2024 Quds News Network (QNN) interview posted on X, Khalil said [00:00:05] in Arabic: “We have been negotiating since last night for more than 11 hours with the university to meet our demands regarding the cutting economic and academic ties with Israeli universities and the universities involved in slaughtering our Palestinian people…”
On April 29, 2024, Bwog Columbia Student News reported: “...Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) held a press conference to address the end of negotiations and the University’s plans to clear the Encampment…” Speaking on behalf of CUAD, Khalil said: “...the students in this Encampment are a gift to Columbia” and “...the University should be proud of its student activists rather than suspend them and ‘trample its reputation.’”
On April 30, 2024, a user posted on Instagram a video interview from CNN in which Khalil was asked [00:00:01]: “Are you…going to listen to the University and leave the encampment here?” Khalil replied [00:00:04]: “Of course not! The University is the one who should listen to us. They should listen to their student body who are demanding to end the war that’s happening in Palestine. Our…demands are clear…regarding divestment from the Israeli occupation that companies that are profiting [sic] and…contributing to the genocide of our people…”
Asked by CNN [00:00:47]: “How far are you all willing to go here on campus?”, Khalil replied [00:01:08]: “...the students will remain here…until they achieve their…demands.”
On April 30, 2024, USA Today reported: “The school…suspended graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest in talks with the administration that have failed to resolve the crisis.”
On May 2, 2024, the BBC, in a news brief titled: “Columbia student has suspension reversed,” reported: “...Mahmoud Khalil…was suspended yesterday. Today…Khalil received a surprising message: it was abruptly reversed.” Khalil reportedly said: “[They said] that after reviewing the evidence, they don’t have any evidence to suspend…"
The BBC report said: “Khalil, a Palestinian international student who was born in [sic] raised in Syria, said that the thought of suspension had ‘been stressful,’ given that his visa in the US is dependent on his status as a student.”
On April 26, 2024, The Verge reported: “Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student who has been involved in the negotiations with Shafik’s office, also spoke, saying international students were especially at risk. ‘I am here on a foreign visa. That’s why for the past six months, I’ve barely appeared on the media,’ Khalil said.”
The encampment was also in support of the BDS movement.
On March 8, 2025, Khalil was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which reportedly revoked his student visa. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization."
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 7] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
On March 9, 2025, Marco Rubio, U.S secretary of state, posted on X: "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported," and linked to an article about Khalil's arrest.
Khalil was scheduled to appear before a federal immigration judge.
On October 12, 2023, Khalil led [photo 2] a protest at Columbia where activists chanted [00:00:01]: “..from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free…” Khalil appeared [00:00:05] next to anti-Israel agitator Maryam Iqbal, who led the chant calling for Israel’s destruction.
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Many Palestinian civilians participated in and supported the attacks, and Gazans working in the targeted Israeli communities gave intelligence to Hamas on where to strike.
For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
On March 11, 2025, Khalil was featured in a video posted on X, speaking to a crowd as a CUAD representative.
In the video, Khalil said [00:00:01]: "As you've seen, Palestinians have tried multiple times resistance, whether it is armed, unarmed resistance, peaceful, whatever. But Israel and the propaganda always find something to attack."
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for nationalistic terror and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
On October 7, 2024, Khalil participated in a leadership role in a pro-Hamas protest at Columbia. CUAD, which organized the protest, called to "bring the war home."
For more information on the anti-Israel movement’s war on America, check Canary Mission’s campaign “Bringing the War Home.”
During the protest, demonstrators held [photos 2 and 4] a newspaper with Hamas propaganda, which included an article [p.12] by convicted Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist Walid Daqqa and articles [p.4] by the pro-terror groups PYM and [p.7] National SJP.
Walid Daqqa was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for reportedly having been part of a PFLP terror cell that abducted and killed an Israeli soldier in 1984.
Also on October 7, 2024, CUAD promoted on Instagram an event titled: “OCTOBER 7 / WALKOUT.” The post said: “...After an entire year of uninterrupted genocide…it is our duty to act, to resist…WALK OUT…join the movement for Palestinian liberation.”
During the walkout, protesters chanted [video; 00:00:01]: “Resistance is glorious! We will be victorious!” and held [video; 00:00:35] yellow signs that read: “GLORY TO THE MARTYRS. VICTORY TO THE RESISTANCE.” Protesters also chanted [00:00:42]: “Intifada, intifada! Globalize the intifada!”
Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Also on October 7, 2024, CUAD posted on Instagram a video of the protest and wrote: “...We must recognize our liberations as connected and bring the war home. The Palestinian resistance is moving their struggle to a new phase of escalation, and it is our duty to meet them there…WALKOUT NOW! JOIN US! JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR A FREE PALESTINE!”
On March 5, 2025, Khalil served [video 1] as a negotiator, after pro-Hamas agitators occupied the library lobby at Barnard College in support of students suspended for "interrupting a 'History of Modern Israel' class on Jan. 21 and distributing fliers, including one that showed a jackboot squashing a Jewish star."
During the protest, anti-Israel activists shared posters that called for the "DEATH TO AMERICA." They also shared posters in support of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Yahya (Yehiya) Sinwar masterminded the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel. While serving four life sentences in Israel, he was released to Gaza following the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. On October 17, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces eliminated Sinwar in Gaza.
Khalil appeared [00:00:27] in a video during the library occupation, as agitators chanted: "Disclose! Divest! We will not stop! We will not rest!"
During the protest, agitators displayed [slide 2] a puppet of Barnard president Laura Ann Rosenbury and chanted: "Intifada, intifada! Globalize the Intifada!"
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
On March 5, 2025, the New York Times reported that this was the "second such sit-in to take place at Barnard over the issue," with anti-Israel activists having previously "staged a sit-in at Milbank Hall."
On April 17, 2024, Columbia students and anti-Israel activists set up a pro-Hamas “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the university's main lawn. Many participants were arrested and the encampment featured multiple violent incidents, including taking over a campus building and taking a university worker hostage.
Activists protested Israel’s war against Hamas and demanded that Columbia “divest from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation…”
The action had reportedly been planned for months and was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition. The encampment was also organized by Columbia’s banned pro-Hamas activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the university chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Activists reportedly received training from National SJP and other anti-Israel organizations.
Among the encampment leaders was Columbia student Khymani James who had said [00:00:25]: “Zionists…They are nazis!... They’re supporters of genocide! Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?... Be glad, be grateful that I am not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Aidan Parisi, another encampment leader, responded to Columbia’s demand to disband the encampment by declaring online that: “COLUMBIA WILL BURN.”
The encampment was forcibly dismantled at the directive of Columbia’s president and administration. The NYPD [New York Police Department] entered the area, cleared the encampment and arrested more than 100 protestors, approximately 80 of whom were Columbia students. The students were charged with trespassing and suspended from Columbia indefinitely.
The next day, activists created a new encampment. When divestment negotiations with Columbia failed, protesters illegally forced their way into the university’s Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024. They smashed [00:00:55] through a glass-paneled door, broke security cameras, threw university property out of the windows and unfurled [00:00:01] a banner in the building’s wall that read: “INTIFADA,” a term in Arabic for uprising or insurrection that carries the connotation of violence.
While barricading themselves in the building, agitators kept three Columbia custodians hostage and stopped them from leaving. When the NYPD raided and dismantled the encampment a second time, they arrested more than 100 students, nearly half of whom were reportedly not affiliated with Columbia.
NYPD shared on Twitter photos of objects the police found in Hamilton Hall. These included knives, hammers, gas masks, ropes and a pamphlet that read [video 1]: “...DISRUPT/RECLAIM/DESTROY zionist business interests everywhere! DEATH TO ISRAELI REAL STATE! DEATH TO AMERICA!...LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA!”
Just outside the encampment area, Jewish students were called [slide 2]: “Uncultured a** b**ches!” and were told to “Go back to Europe!” Activists also said [slide 3] to them: “Yahoodim [Jews], yahoodi [Jew], f**k you!” and “Stop killing children!” as they walked from campus to their dorm rooms.
Also just outside the encampment area, anti-Israel activists chanted [slide 5]: “Ya Hamas, ya habib, odrob, odrob Tel Aviv! [Oh Hamas, oh loved one, strike, strike Tel Aviv!]”, a chant that celebrates Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.
An activist just outside the encampment area held [photo 4] a sign that said, referring to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing: “AL-QASAM’S NEXT TARGETS.” Her sign contained an arrow pointing to a pro-Israel crowd.
On May 31, 2024, Columbia SJP announced that its activists had set up a third encampment at the university. At the encampment, protesters reportedly displayed on a big screen a video that portrayed Hamas as a peace-seeking organization and made a sign that contained an inverted red triangle, a symbol in support of Hamas.
The Columbia encampment reportedly inspired a wave of protest encampments across North American campuses, where pro-Israel students were blocked or restricted from campus facilities. Jewish students were reportedly harassed in several other ways.
The encampment was one of over 140 pro-Hamas and anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 more globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University. The encampments were unofficially known as the “student intifada,” borrowing a term associated with terrorist violence.
Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.
For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
As of November 2024, Mahmoud Khalil’s LinkedIn profile said he was studying for a master’s degree at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), slated to graduate in December 2024.
As of the same date, Khalil’s LinkedIn said he had worked as a political affairs officer at the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA)’s office in New York from June to November 2023.
The United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) has hired Hamas members as teachers in its schools and provided arms to the terror group. Dozens of UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, and many kept hostages for Hamas in their homes.
Khalil’s LinkedIn said he was located in New York, New York.
 UNIVERSITY FOR PALESTINE.mp4-1-250x444.webp)
