Israel sends rescue planes after soccer fans reportedly attacked in Amsterdam | The Netherlands

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered two rescue planes to be sent to Amsterdam following “a very violent incident” targeting Israeli citizens, his office said, after reports of attacks in connection with a football match.

Israel’s National Security Ministry urged its citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotel rooms, the prime minister’s office said in another statement.

“Fans who went to watch a soccer match encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a statement on X.

Local police said 57 people had been detained after the match as pro-Palestine protesters had tried to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, even though the city had banned them from protesting there.

Police said fans had left the stadium without incident, but throughout the night various clashes were reported in the city centre.

The Israeli military said on Friday it is preparing to immediately deploy a rescue mission with the coordination of the Dutch government after the soccer match in which Ajax Amsterdam defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0.

“The mission will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams,” the military said.

Video on social media showed crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten. The Guardian has not confirmed the authenticity of the videos.

The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, asked the Dutch government to help Israeli citizens get to the airport safely in a phone call with his Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp, ​​on Friday.

In a tweet, Deborah Lipstadt, the US anti-Semitism envoy, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the attacks and called for an investigation.