First evacuated Israelis land in Israel from Amsterdam, Jewish leaders express horror

Violent attacks on Israelis within Amsterdam, following a Maccabi Tel Aviv game against Ajax Amsterdam, resulted in several wounded, three people missing, and a warning for Jewish and Israeli people in Amsterdam to shelter in place.

The incident, which prompted multiple emergency evacuation flights back to Israel from the Netherlands and the deployment of an IDF Search and Rescue team to Amsterdam, has drawn criticism from leaders worldwide.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed of the incident and sent two rescue planes to assist Israeli citizens.

A pogrom in the streets of #Amsterdam.

We have become the Gaza of Europe.

Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews.

I will NOT accept that. NEVER.

The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens.

Never again.

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 8, 2024

The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu views the "horrifying incident with utmost gravity" and called on the Dutch government and security forces take "vigorous and swift action against the rioters." 

International reactions 

Prime Minister Dick Schoof shared on X/Twitter that he had just received a call from Netanyahu regarding the violent incident.

"Completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis. I am in close contact with all those involved" he said, concluding that the riots had quieted down. 

Protesters running after Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam (credit: screenshot)

Dutch Party for Freedom founder and leader Geert Wilders posted, “We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens. Never again.

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt reacted, "Horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom. 

"In terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich."

Melissa Lantsman, who is a Canadian Member of Parliament and a strong advocate for Israel, posted, "The scenes from the streets of Amsterdam tonight are absolutely horrific. This is what “globalize the intifada” looks like. 

She warned, "Don’t look the other way. Watch the footage and stand up against this lawless mob there and everywhere."

US Senator Katie Boyd Britt from Alabama wrote, "It is absolutely despicable to see the blatant attacks on Jews in Amsterdam, many forced to flee for their lives.

After the Holocaust, we said Never Again, yet here we are nearly 80 years later.  I am praying for the Jewish people worldwide."

Elica Le Bon, an Iranian-British lawyer and activist shared her disgust at this level of public antisemitism. "This is the direct result of normalizing antisemitism post-Oct. 7, where the most flagrant acts of Jew-hatred were cast aside as just “bleeding hearts who are against the war.”

"Remind me again how these are all just kind people who care about humanity?"

National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, condemned "the mobs of people hate-filled people chasing down and attacking innocent Israeli soccer fans who they have dehumanized as 'Zionists'."

"We demand Dutch authorities do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the Israeli fans, work to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, and apologize for this obscene, unprovoked violence."

A 'new Kristallnacht'

The Combat Antisemitism Movement similarly referred to the Amsterdam attack as a modern-day Kristallnacht. 

In a press release, the organization stated, “The difference today is that Jews have the State of Israel as their sanctuary. However, Europe should remember this: Jews won't wait around like they did in '39. As they said over eight decades ago, first, they came for the Jews, but it did not end there. It's time for Europe to get its act together and deal with the new Nazis as it did the old ones.”

Israeli leaders and international Jewish figures have reacted with horror to the scenes of violent antisemitism that unfolded in Amsterdam on Thursday night following a Maccabi TLV-Ajax soccer match.

The pogrom against Israeli fans, which resulted in multiple wounded and three missing, is now apparently under control, according to Dutch officials.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) called the attacks on Israeli soccer fans "a new Kristallnacht."

“Exactly 86 years after Kristallnacht, when Nazis, along with ordinary Germans hunted Jews through the streets of Europe, we see their ideological heirs rampaging through the streets of Amsterdam once again seeking to spill Jewish blood,” said CEO of CAM Sacha Roytman Dratwa.

“Thousands of Islamists, who are today's neo-Nazis in ideology and action, in a clearly premeditated and organized fashion, targeted Jews in what feels to many as a loud echo from history.”

Dratwa stressed a difference between 1939 and today: the State of Israel.

Pro-Palestinians demonstrate at Amsterdam's Anton de Komplein square ahead of the UEFA Europa League football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, 2024. (credit: JEROEN JUMELET/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

"The Jews won't wait around like they did in '39," Dratwa added. "They'll leave, leaving you to deal with the extremism that has been allowed to fester."

Jews first, West next

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed a similar sentiment, writing that “This is not only an injury to Jews and Israelis, but a warning sign to all European countries against radical Muslim violence. Those who turn a blind eye to Islamic terrorism in the Middle East will meet it at home in Europe and the West."

"Today, the victims were Israelis; tomorrow it will be you Europeans."

The President of United Haztalah, Eli Beer, said, "This is what happens when terrorists are allowed into Europe." 

"Tonight, in central Amsterdam, young Jews were attacked by Palestinians, facing attempted lynching. The police were absent or arrived too late. This is happening in the heart of Europe, and it’s only the beginning. In Israel, we confront this daily, but now it’s spreading to Europe."

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon addressed the situation, calling for the UN to condemn the pogrom.

"These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting," he wrote.

"The western world needs to wake up now!! This is the time when the UN should immediately and clearly condemn the violence of the Palestinians and their supporters. The Dutch authorities must take decisive action against terrorism now."

Former War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz said that the pogrom "penetrates the soul of every Jew, with difficult images that remind us of dark and painful days."

He asked the Dutch government to do everything it could to protect Israelis with all the means at its disposal against the antisemitic terrorists.

“These shocking antisemitic attacks on the streets of a European city should be a wake-up call to Dutch and European authorities about where uncontrolled anti-Israel demonstrations lead,” said the President of the European Jewish Congress Dr. Ariel Muzicant.

 “We are deeply shocked that such a pogrom can take place on the streets of Europe with Israelis apparently offered little protection, but we are fully aware that these attacks do not occur in a vacuum and come against a background of wide scale displays of anti-Jewish and Israeli hate on the streets of European capitals, mimicking the Hamas pogrom of Israelis on October 7 last year", Muzicant said. 

The President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Phil Rosenberg, said he would be speaking to British police and government officials over the coming days to ensure such a "pogrom" would not be repeated in the UK.

Shir Perets contributed to this report.

Following the violent attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam on Thursday night, during which ten were injured and three went missing, El Al has announced that it will operate two rescue flights from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv on Shabbat after having received permission from the Chief Rabbis of Israel.

Both flights will be free of charge, and the first will leave from Amsterdam at 14:00 (local time), and will land back in Tel Aviv on Friday evening. The second will leave soon after.

All seats on the planes (tourists, premium, and business) will be provided free of charge for passengers who hold a flight ticket with El Al or another Israeli airline. People wanting to fly must register through the customer service hotline at a number designated for customers located in Amsterdam, on the phone 03-9404040.

Separately from the rescue flight, El Al announced that two flights are making their way to Amsterdam and will also return to Israel today - carrying about 350 Israelis on them. El Al stressed that these flights were planned in advance and are unrelated to Thursday night events.

The PassportCard travel insurance company announced the departure of two planes to Amsterda, both carrying medical teams to treat Israelis injured in the pogrom. PassportCard has received reports of ten injured, who are currently receiving assistance from local service providers.

Protesters running after Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam (credit: REUTERS)

The PassportCard company asks its policyholders to contact the company as soon as possible to update them on their condition and whereabouts. 

Cellcom announced that it will create international phone packages for all customers staying in the Netherlands to stay in contact with people to Israel. 

Cellcom's service centers are available to all customers staying abroad for any matter, 24/7, on WhatsApp: 0524999123 and by phone: +972529986919.

Partner likewise offered its customers staying in the Netherlands a package of surfing, calls, and messages at no cost, which will be activated automatically without needing a request from the customer.

Pelephone announced that it is mobilizing to help Israelis in Amsterdam and will allow the company's customers in the city to make calls and browse for free over the weekend to allow them to be in touch with their relatives and stay updated with the news. Pelephone customers in Amsterdam will receive the benefit automatically, meaning users do not need to contact the company's call centers to receive it.

Emotional support

United Hatzalah's Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit has also opened an emergency hotline for Israelis in Amsterdam. The incident response specialists said they were on call to offer support to those in need.

Israel's Health Ministry also said it had begun to provide emotional support and psychological assistance to the victims of the violence.