Rotterdam students and teachers on a trip in Israel seeking repatriation

28 students and four teachers from the Rotterdam secondary school Guido de Brès in the Lombardijen neighbourhood are currently trapped in Israel in the midst of the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, AD reported on Monday.

“They are in the north of Israel in a region that is still relatively quiet,” said board chairman Richard Toes of the Driestar-Wartburg school group (1,500 students), which includes Guido de Brès. The children and their supervisors are forced to stay indoors in their hotel.

International trips and excursions to, for example, Bulgaria, Uganda, Spain and Israel are part of the curriculum at the school. Last Thursday - two days before the attack by Hamas, the students arrived in Israel. The students would remain in Israel until Friday, October 13. “To get to know Israeli culture, nature and everything the country has to offer,” explained Toes.

A crisis management team has been set up “to ensure that students and colleagues leave Israel safely as quickly as possible,” according to the website of the school. Flying from Tel Aviv airport is still possible, but not all airlines are operating, Toes explained. “We are trying to find tickets for an airline that still departs. We hope that will work,” he said. Airlines Transavia, KLM, and EasyJet have canceled all their flights to Tel Aviv on Monday.

The board is in touch with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy. They have been advised to leave the country as quickly as possible. However, Toes pointed out they have not received help with repatriation, noting that other countries are actively repatriating their residents.

According to Toes, the atmosphere in the group is “good and calm.” The students' parents are also concerned, Toes said. "We maintain intensive contact with them and of course keep them informed,” he added.