close
close

Netanyahu asks the Dutch head of state for more security after attacks, IDF plans rescue mission in Amsterdam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called on his counterpart in the Netherlands to ensure greater security for Israelis after fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv FC A soccer team was attacked by anti-Israel protesters on Thursday.

In addition, Israeli forces said they would “immediately send a rescue mission” to Amsterdam led by the IDF's Home Front Command, according to the Times of Israel.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said up to 20 of its nationals were injured while seven others remained unreachable since the attacks.

ISRAELI FOOTBALL FANS AGAINST A WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN AMSTERDAM

Anti-Israel agitators demonstrate at Amsterdam's Anton de Komplein Square before the UEFA Europa League soccer match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, 2024. (JEROEN JUMELET/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

In a conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof after the attacks, Netanyahu said he was taking the “deliberate attacks” seriously. He called on Schoof to improve the security of Israelis in the country. Meanwhile, Israel is doing its own part to fend for itself in the Netherlands.

According to the Times of Israel, planes were sent to the Netherlands to bring back Israelis, including the injured. Additional telephone lines were also set up in the embassy and in the Foreign Ministry situation room.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Thursday's attacks the most alarming thing to happen to Jews since the attacks by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

“We woke up this morning to shocking images and videos that we had hoped never to see again since October 7th: an anti-Semitic pogrom currently taking place in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands, against fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli “Citizens take place,” Herzog wrote on X.

“This is a serious incident, a warning sign for any country that wants to uphold the values ​​of freedom.”

TWO JEWISH STUDENTS AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY are attacked by masked attackers on campus

Pro-Israeli Maccabi fans in Amsterdam

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans stage a pro-Israel demonstration in Dam Square, lighting flares and shouting slogans before the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax on November 7, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Dutch prime minister called the “anti-Semitic” attacks on Israeli soccer fans on Friday “unacceptable” and said that “the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.”

Videos on social media showed several fights in the streets outside the stadium where Maccabi Tel Aviv FC was playing Ajax. Days earlier, Spanish media reported that anti-Israel agitators would protest outside the stadium to target the Israeli soccer club and its fans.

Anti-Israel protesters suffered a legal setback in an attempt to expand the DNC rally

Israeli football fans in Amsterdam

Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters hold flags at Dam Square before the Europa League football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, 2024 in Amsterdam. (JEROEN JUMELET/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The IDF has banned soldiers from flying to Amsterdam, but “exceptional requests will be considered on an individual basis,” the military said.