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Israelis report anti-Semitic attacks in Amsterdam, including stun grenades

Dozens of Israelis endured a harrowing night in Amsterdam on Thursday when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were violently attacked in the street. Attacks being investigated by both the Dutch and Israeli governments.

Israel will support the Netherlands in collecting witness statements and preserving evidence from Israeli citizens to bring the perpetrators to justice, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Even though evacuation flights are taking Israelis home, several fans are still stuck in Amsterdam trying to process what happened and how to return home.

A fan, H, was present and spoke to him during part of the incidents Maariv about the nightmarish experience he and other Israeli fans had in the city.

H, who is still in Amsterdam, said: “We came to the stadium by train with Ajax fans and the game itself was a pleasant experience. But when we arrived at the main train station after the game, I started to sense that something was wrong.”

A Maccabi Tel Aviv fan who landed in Israel after the anti-Semitic attacks in Amsterdam on November 8, 2024. (Image credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

“In the previous days there were some incidents in which Muslim fans tried to confront and even harm some Israelis. That's why I was careful; I wore a plain black coat and scarf and hid my team jersey under my clothes.”

He described the moment the violence broke out: “As I was making my way to my hotel, at some point I was alone and felt uncomfortable.”

Fans talk about the violence they were subjected to

“Then some Muslim fans, who I think were Turkish, noticed me. I panicked and tried to escape, but one of them tripped me and I fell to the ground. When they saw my Maccabi scarf, they started hitting me.” – I kicked my head, pushed, all in a very violent and spontaneous way. It all happened in seconds.”

H said he tried to call for help, but passersby didn't stop to help him. “I ran into the street and tried to stop cars, but no one stopped for me.”

Eventually, other Maccabi fans in the area joined him, helped to ease the situation and accompanied him part of the way to his hotel.

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“I saw that I was near my hotel, so I went to a nearby restaurant where they gave me water and tried to recover from the incident.”

H suffered wounds to his legs and shoulders and received a severe blow to the head. When he returned to the hotel, he found that the violence had not yet ended.

“Everyone in the hotel was shocked and then more fans came running and I understood that they were being followed. We all went to the floor where the Israeli fans were and hid there for another two hours until we felt it was safe to come out.”

“I reached the hotel relatively quickly, slightly injured and didn't leave the hotel all night. Later there was a full-scale riot in another part of the city. There was an escalation, and now there are many injured Israelis to varying degrees,” H explained.

H said that the police arrived at the hotel the next morning and he even gave an interview to local media in which he recounted the traumatic experience and lamented: “What happened was terrible. The violence spread very quickly and became a real threat.”

Israeli tells how a stun grenade was thrown at his apartment

Carmel Haddad, a fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv, is still in Amsterdam. He said the attackers were not satisfied with punches, kicks and physical violence.

Haddad reported that a stun grenade was thrown at the apartment where he and his friends were staying, a gesture reminiscent of dark days in history.

Many of the Israeli fans in Amsterdam received support from Chabad representatives in the city.

In fact, a special command center was set up, headed by two rabbis from two Chabad houses in Amsterdam.

“Since last night, reports have been coming in about the horrors experienced by Maccabi fans who came to the game in Amsterdam,” Rabbi Dovi Pinkowitz of Chabad said in an interview with Walla.

“We have received numerous calls from people injured and involved in violent incidents, although we still don't know all the details as everyone is focused on getting out of here and getting away from the city.”

“We have received reports of violent attacks and a vehicle attack in the city center and have arranged for medical teams to be deployed to the area. A medical team from Magen David Adom (MDA), which was in Paris, arrived here this morning and we are trying to manage all the events and help as much as possible.”

Explaining the transportation network that has been put in place, Pinkowitz noted, “Currently, the main efforts are focused on arranging transportation for everyone here who has no way to leave the city or get to the airport.”

“Unfortunately, we understand that it is unsafe to take local taxis or Ubers, as there are reports of local drivers laying traps for Israelis seeking to escape the chaos, essentially taking them to places where violent locals frequent they expected and attacked. The fans are afraid.” To get into local taxis or transport, we have set up a network of about 50 volunteer drivers, Israelis from all over the Netherlands, with their own vehicles, who simply help anyone who wants to get to the airport or any other location “To escape the city.”

Pinkowitz also added that Chabad is helping Israelis by providing food and drinks to those in need, as several Israelis are afraid to leave their hotels.

Another problem that arose was the observance of Shabbat. However, Pinkowitz addressed this, saying, “We have spoken to Israel's Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Kalman Bar, about the handling of Shabbat under these circumstances.” We believe this situation falls into the category of pikuach nefesh (preservation of life), and that's where we're going now. We will try to complete everything before Shabbat, but the operation will continue after Shabbat begins if necessary. We hope for the best and will do what we can to help those in need.”

Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report.



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