First flight with Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam lands in Tel Aviv

Published
0
A fan of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel-Aviv reacts upon returning from Amsterdam at the Ben Gurion International Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv on November 8. — AFP
A fan of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel-Aviv reacts upon returning from Amsterdam at the Ben Gurion International Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv on November 8. — AFP

The first flight carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam after violent clashes following a football match there landed on Friday at Ben Gurion International Airport, the Israel Airports Authority said.

“The plane that arrived in Tel Aviv now has passengers evacuated from Amsterdam,” Liza Dvir, spokeswoman for the airport authority told AFP.

Earlier, Israeli and Dutch leaders condemned “anti-Semitic” clashes that erupted after a Europa League football match in Amsterdam overnight, with Israel sending rescue planes for their citizens.

The violence flared after the game between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and home team Ajax, which won 5-0.

A Dutch police spokesperson told ANP news agency that 57 people had been arrested, without providing further details.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the “completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis”.

“I followed with horror the coverage from Amsterdam,” Schoof wrote on X, adding that he had spoken with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to assure him that “the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted”.

The pair spoke after Netanyahu ordered rescue planes to the Netherlands to transport the Israeli fans back home.

Netanyahu’s office said he told Schoof that he “views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with utmost seriousness and requested increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands”, his office said.

Dutch media AT5 said the clashes occurred around midnight.

Social media platforms were flooded with unverified images purported to be of the violence, but confirmed details of the clashes were few.

AT5 said that numerous fights, as well as acts of vandalism, had occurred in the city centre.

“A large number of mobile unit vehicles are present and reinforcements have also been called in,” it said. “Young people also allegedly provoked the police”.

Images on AT5 showed Dutch police escorting fans back to their hotels.

The Israeli embassy in the United States said “hundreds” of Maccabi fans were “ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game”.

In its post on social media platform X, the embassy blamed the incident on a “mob who targeted innocent Israelis”.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called on the Dutch government “to protect, locate, and rescue all Israelis and Jews under attack”.

“We see the horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7, we had hoped never to see again: an anti-Semitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands,” Herzog said in a statement.

‘Rescue mission’

Israeli authorities urged their citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels and avoid showing Israeli or Jewish symbols if they do go outside.

The army said it was coordinating a “rescue mission” with cargo aircraft and medical and rescue teams.

Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had requested the Dutch government’s assistance in ensuring Israeli citizens’ safe exit from their hotels to the airport.

On Thursday, Amsterdam police said on social media that they were being particularly vigilant in the wake of several incidents, including the tearing down of a Palestinian flag from a building.

A pro-Palestinian rally demonstrating against the Israeli football club’s visit was initially scheduled to take place near the stadium but was relocated by the Amsterdam city council for security reasons.

The violence took place with anti-Israeli sentiment and reported anti-Semitic acts across the world soaring as Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and Gaza, which have seen massive civilian casualties.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

AN emergency can be judged by the speed with which it draws an effective response. The National Population Council’s...
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...