Israeli Football Fans Return Home After "Frightening" Violence in Amsterdam

Photo : Reuters

Israeli football fans returning from Amsterdam shared harrowing accounts of clashes and violent incidents that targeted Jewish individuals after Thursday's Europa League match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Dutch team Ajax. The violence, which resulted in five people being hospitalized, was widely condemned as anti-Semitic by both Dutch and Israeli authorities.

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Kobi Eliyahu, 40, recounted how individuals with their faces covered waited on street corners, creating a "frightening" atmosphere. Eliya Cohen, another returning fan, described seeing "Muslims looking for Jews to beat them up" in the city center, prompting him to leave the area. Cohen expressed concern for others but feared for his own safety as he sought refuge. Fans wearing Maccabi Tel Aviv scarves were greeted by reporters and their relieved families at Ben Gurion Airport upon their return to Israel.

Despite heavy police presence, authorities struggled to prevent the violent attacks, which took place in various parts of Amsterdam. Nadav Zer, 33, recalled how he and others had to run back to their hotel to escape the violence. "We heard blasts the whole night," Zer said, describing the chaos, including "shouts and screams" in Arabic. "It was unimaginable."

Eliyahu, who was attending the match with his siblings, said the violence appeared premeditated, comparing it to the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in 1930s Europe, prior to World War II. He called for a boycott of Europe, saying Jewish and Israeli people should avoid the continent. "They don't deserve us," he said.

The violence in Amsterdam occurred amid rising global anti-Israeli sentiment and anti-Semitic acts, particularly as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues to spill over into Lebanon. Tensions had already been high before the match, with incidents reported between both sides earlier in the week.

An unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show Maccabi fans chanting in support of the Israeli military, further fueling tensions. While most Maccabi players chose not to comment on the situation upon their arrival at the airport, the club's CEO, Ben Mansford, condemned the violence, stressing that it was unrelated to the football match itself. "This was not connected to football," he said. "It was a tragic situation."

Mansford added that the football match had been enjoyable, with a positive atmosphere in the stadium. However, once the fans began leaving the stadium and traveling through Amsterdam’s train stations, they became targets of violence. Despite tight security during the match, fans were left to fend for themselves once they left the stadium and night fell.

Zer described how attackers, mostly young men wielding bats and stones, swarmed Israelis as they tried to escape. "They came from everywhere," Zer said. "We tried to escape from them."

The incidents in Amsterdam come at a time of heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, and fans were subjected to an environment of fear and violence as they attempted to return to their hotels or homes after the match.