'They started hitting me—kicking my head': Israelis recount Amsterdam attacks, use of stun grenades

Dozens of Israelis experienced a harrowing night on Thursday in Amsterdam when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were violently attacked in the streets, attacks that are being investigated by both the Dutch and Israeli governments. 

Israel will assist the Netherlands in collecting testimonies and preserving evidence from Israeli citizens to bring perpetrators to justice, the Foreign Ministry stated on Friday. 

Despite evacuation flights bringing Israelis home, several fans are still stranded in Amsterdam, trying to process what happened and how to return home. 

One fan, H, was present during part of the incidents, and spoke to Maariv about the nightmarish experience he and other Israeli fans endured in the city.

H, who is still in Amsterdam, recounted, "We arrived at the stadium by train with Ajax fans, and the game itself was a pleasant experience. But when we reached the central station after the game, I started to feel that something was about to happen."

"In the days leading up, there were a few incidents where Muslim fans tried to confront and even harm some Israelis. So, I was cautious; I wore a plain black coat and scarf and hid my team shirt under my clothes.”

He described the moment when the violence erupted, saying, “As I began making my way to my hotel, I was alone at some point and felt uneasy."

Fans recount the violence they faced

"Then, some Muslim fans, who I think were Turkish, noticed me. I started to panic and tried to run, but one of them tripped me, and I fell to the ground. When they saw my Maccabi scarf, they started hitting me—kicking my head, shoving, all in a very violent and spontaneous way. It all happened in seconds.”

H said he tried to call for help, but passerbys did not stop to help him. "I ran into the road, tried to flag down cars, but no one stopped for me."

Eventually, other Maccabi fans in the area joined him, and helped ease the situation, and accompanied him part of the way to his hotel.

“I saw I was close to my hotel, so I went into a nearby restaurant where they gave me water, and I tried to recover from the incident.”

H sustained wounds to his legs and shoulders and received a strong blow to the head. When he returned to the hotel, he realized the violence had not ended.

“At the hotel, everyone was shaken, and then more fans came running in, and I understood that they were being chased. We all went up to the floor where the Israeli fans were staying and hid there for another two hours until we felt it was safe to come out."

"I reached the hotel relatively quickly, lightly injured, and didn’t leave the hotel for the entire night. Later on, in another part of the city, a full-scale riot broke out. There was an escalation, and now there are many injured Israelis at varying degrees," H stated.

H said that the police arrived at the hotel the next morning, and he even gave an interview to local media, sharing the traumatic experience, lamenting, "What happened was terrible. The violence spread very quickly and became a real threat."

Israeli recounts a stun grenade thrown at his apartment 

Carmel Haddad, a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan, is still in Amsterdam. He said that the attackers did not "settle" for punches, kicks, and physical violence.

Haddad reported that a stun grenade was thrown at the apartment where he and his friends were staying, a gesture reminiscent of dark days in history.

Many of the Israeli fans in Amsterdam received assistance from Chabad representatives in the city.

In fact, a special command center was established, managed by two rabbis from two Chabad houses in Amsterdam.

“Since last night, reports have been coming in about the horrors experienced by Maccabi fans who came to the game in Amsterdam,” said Rabbi Dovi Pinkowitz of Chabad in a conversation with Walla. 

“We received numerous calls from people who were injured and involved in violent incidents, though we still don’t know all the details, as everyone is focused on trying to get out of here and escape the city."

"We received reports of violent attacks and a vehicular assault in the city center, and we arranged for medical teams to be dispatched to the area. A Magen David Adom (MDA) medical team that was in Paris arrived here this morning, and we are trying to manage all events and assist as much as possible.”

Pinkowitz explained the transportation network that was set up, noting, “Currently, the main effort is focused on arranging transportation for anyone here who has no way to leave the city or reach the airport."

"Unfortunately, we understood that it’s unsafe to take local taxis or Ubers, as there have been reports of local drivers laying traps for Israelis trying to escape the chaos, essentially taking them to places where violent locals awaited and assaulted them. The fans are afraid to get into local taxis or transport, so we set up a network of about 50 volunteer drivers, Israelis from across the Netherlands, with their own vehicles, simply helping anyone who wants to reach the airport or any other place to escape the city.”

Pinkowitz also added that Chabad is assisting Israelis by providing food and drink to those in need, as several Israelis are afraid to leave their hotels. 

Another issue that arose was Shabbat observance. However, Pinkowitz addressed this, saying, “We spoke with Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Kalman Bar, about handling Shabbat under these circumstances. We believe this situation falls under the category of pikuach nefesh (preservation of life), and that’s where we’re heading now. We’ll try to finish everything before Shabbat, but the operation will continue after Shabbat begins if necessary. We hope for the best and will do our utmost to help those in need.”

Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report.