Following the overnight attacks on the streets of Amsterdam on Thursday, the 7th of November, which officials described as anti-Semitic, Israel will send two rescue planes to Amsterdam to evacuate Israeli football fans, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced, while Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof promised that those responsible will be “tracked down and prosecuted”, according to Politico and Reuters.
Fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked in the city centre after a Europa League match against the Dutch team Ajax, although the fans left the Johan Cruyff stadium in Amsterdam without incidents.
Videos circulating on social media showed people being grabbed, kicked and beaten.
Mass brawls on the streets of Amsterdam: Israeli football fans were attacked by masked Islamists
It happened after a football match in the Europa League between the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch Ajax. From 10 to 30 Israeli citizens were injured.
Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/L7Cnk5WcHj
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 8, 2024
The Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, said that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were attacked and targeted with fireworks and that riot police had to intervene to protect them and take them to hotels.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the order to send the planes was taken after a “very violent incident” targeting Israeli citizens after a match between football clubs.
Dutch Prime Minister Schoff said he had “followed the news from Amsterdam with horror”.
“Totally unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks against Israelis,” Schoff wrote in a statement posted on social media, adding that he had assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that those responsible would be “tracked down and prosecuted”.
Dutch police said in a statement that a protest against the Israeli team took place before the game and more than 50 people were detained. Israeli media reported that some of the masked attackers shouted “Free Palestine” and that some victims had their passports stolen, while ten people were hospitalised with injuries.
Anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders, leader of the largest party in the Dutch government, said he was “ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the violence an “anti-Semitic pogrom”.
But according to other reports online, the violence broke out after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans allegedly provoked local residents.
Since Israel launched its assault on Gaza following the 7th of October 2023 attacks on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, anti-Semitic incidents have increased in the Netherlands, with many Jewish organisations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
The Israeli military offensive in Gaza following Hamas attack has already killed more than 43 000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the enclave.