The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has directed two rescue planes to be sent to Amsterdam after “a very violent incident” targeting Israelis citizens, his office has said, after attacks linked to a football game were reported.
Israel’s national security ministry has also urged its citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotel rooms, the prime minister’s office said in a second statement.
“Fans who went to see a football game, encountered antisemitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” the Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a post on X.
Local police said 57 people had been held after the game as pro-Palestine demonstrators had tried to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, even though the city had forbidden them to protest there.
Police said fans had left the stadium without incidents, but during the night various clashes in the city centre were reported.
The Israeli military said on Friday it was preparing to immediately deploy a rescue mission with the coordination of the Dutch government after the football game, 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 veracity of the videos.
The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, asked the Dutch government to help Israeli citizens arrive safely at the airport in a phone call with his Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp, on Friday.
In a tweet, Deborah Lipstadt, the US antisemitism envoy, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the attacks and called for an investigation.
