Israeli soccer fans attacked in Amsterdam, Israeli and Dutch authorities say

By Edward Szekeres and Eugenia Yosef, CNN

(CNN) — Israeli soccer fans were attacked in a “serious incident of violence in Amsterdam” overnight into Friday, authorities said, with the Israeli government saying it was sending planes to evacuate affected citizens.

Hundreds of fans of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team “were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam” on Thursday night as they left the stadium following a Europa League game against Dutch side Ajax, the Israeli embassy to the United States said on social media platform X.

Social media video shared by the embassy showed what it said was violence against Maccabi fans. CNN has not yet been able to verify those videos.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X he was in touch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was “horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens.”

“This is completely unacceptable. I am in close contact with all parties involved and have just spoken to (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu by phone to stress that the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted,” he said, adding “the situation in Amsterdam is now calm once more.”

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.

“Netanyahu stated that he views the planned anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens as serious,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that he asked for increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands.

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. CNN has not yet been able to verify these videos.

Local police said 57 people had been held after the game as pro-Palestinian 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 center were reported.

CNN has reached out to Amsterdam police for an updated comment on the latest recent reported violence.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said 10 citizens were injured, and advised Israelis in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels.

“The impression from the reports (are) that the situation is calming down in the last hour,” Sa’ar said.

He condemned the attacks as “barbaric and antisemitic” and called them “a blaring alarm call for Europe and the world.”

Sa’ar also asked his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp to help getting Israelis from their hotels to the airport, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.

In a statement from his office, Netanyahu said he was ordering the “immediate release of two rescue planes” to assist Israeli citizens. He urged Dutch authorities to “act firmly and quickly against the rioters and ensure the peace of our citizens.”

Israel’s military said it was leading the evacuation flights.

“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.”

Maccabi fans had been in the Dutch capital ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League game against Ajax which the local side won 5-0.

Amsterdam police said they boosted their presence in the city center on Wednesday night, citing “tensions” in several areas, one day ahead of the match.

Officers “prevented a confrontation between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors who came from the adjacent casino” on Wednesday night, the police said in a statement on X, noting another incident in which a Palestinian flag was torn down in Amsterdam’s center by unknown perpetrators.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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