Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that two rescue planes be sent immediately to Amsterdam following “a very violent incident” targeting Israelis citizens following attacks linked to a football game.
Israel’s national security ministry has also urged its citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotel rooms following the attacks, the prime minister’s office said according to media reports.
“Fans who went to see a football game, encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post on X (formally twitter).
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was in touch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the “completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis.”
Schoof said he had a call with Netanyahu and emphasized that the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted, adding “it is now quiet in the capital.”
Netanyahu emphasized in a call with Schoof “the supreme importance” of the Dutch government ensuring the safety of all Israelis in the Netherlands, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.
The leader of the Opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, in a post on X said, “The scenes from Amsterdam remind us all of Europe’s darkest days. Jews being hunted and beaten on the streets of Europe should be a wake-up call for anyone who still needs it about the rise of antisemitism and the dangers of extremism."
Local police said 57 people had been held after the game as pro-Palestine demonstrators had tried to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, even though the city had forbidden them to protest there, Reuters reported. Police said fans had left the stadium without incident, but during the night various clashes in the city centre were reported.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said 10 citizens were injured, and advised Israelis in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels.
He condemned the attacks as “barbaric and antisemitic” and called them “a blaring alarm call for Europe and the world.”
Israel’s military said it was leading the evacuation flights, CNN reported.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is preparing to immediately deploy a rescue mission with the coordination of the Dutch government,” the military said. “The mission will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams.”
Political tensions had been rising in the lead up to Thursday night’s match with multiple unconfirmed social media videos showing Maccabi fans chanting slogans about the conflict in the Middle East, the CNN report added.