15 Dutch nationals from Gaza landed at Eindhoven airbase, "very emotional on board"

A plane carrying Dutch nationals from the Egyptian capital Cairo landed at Eindhoven airbase at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday. On board were, among others, 15 people with Dutch residence permits and their family members who were in Gaza when the war with Israel broke out there. This is the first flight home with Dutch nationals from Gaza.

The TUI Boeing 737 was originally scheduled to take 16 Dutch nationals home. However, one of them already took a scheduled flight to Schiphol on Saturday.

Today, 16 Dutch nationals or holders of valid Dutch residence permits and their immediate family members were able to leave Gaza. They received our support on site. We continue to do the utmost to help other persons who are eligible to leave. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/mpBomWcoFo

— Hanke Bruins Slot (@HankeBruinsSlot) November 2, 2023

The Dutch nationals left the Gaza Strip on Thursday via the border crossing with Egypt at Rafah to travel to Cairo, where they boarded a plane to the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that it was in contact with 14 other Dutch nationals in Gaza.

It is still unclear how many passengers were on board. A total of about 190 people can fly in the 737, an Air Force spokesman said. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that the remaining passengers were Belgian. According to a spokesman for the Belgian Foreign Ministry, around 20 people will be taken to Brussels by bus after arrival.

At the airbase, the Dutch people were received by Minister Hanke Bruins Slot, who welcomed them. An Air Force spokesman said the people on board were full of emotions. "People are coming from a war zone," he said. "I know what that feels like."

Zojuist zijn de eerste evacués, die eerder vastzaten in Gaza, veilig aangekomen op vliegbasis Eindhoven vanuit Caïro. Hun ervaringen en verhalen raken ons allemaal diep. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/pKhFQ7UVzD

— Hanke Bruins Slot (@HankeBruinsSlot) November 4, 2023

In the arrivals hall, people were greeted by their families and friends, among others. One of them said that they had been living in fear and terror for weeks, waiting for their loved ones to return.

After the Dutch nationals arrived at the air base, Minister Bruins Slot announced on X that “The most important thing now is that they get the help and support they need. I am grateful that they are now safely in the Netherlands.”

Feeling safe again

"This cuts through everyone's soul,” Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said on Saturday evening after talks with the 15 Dutch nationals returning from the Gaza Strip at the airbase. "People have had a traumatic time," she said. "They tell terrible stories and are very grateful to be back."

One of those who returned on Saturday night was 16-year-old Mohammed al Ashkar. He is no stranger to Gaza, having appeared several times on national television when he was still there. "I visited my grandmother in Gaza because she was ill," he told us. "Then the war broke out. We wanted to stay there for a month, but because of the war it turned into two months. We had to leave grandma behind and couldn't say goodbye." He didn't want to say why not.

"Now that I'm here, I'm no longer afraid, I feel safe. There in Gaza, I felt unsafe all the time. I had to seek shelter from bomb attacks myself, I saw and heard them with my own eyes. I experienced terrible things." Mohammed returned with his father and brothers, his mother was killed. "The flight went well, but it was very emotional on board," he said. "I had to think a lot along the way."

Mohammed only wanted to talk to print journalists in Eindhoven, he didn't want to be in front of the camera or the microphone, and he didn't want to be photographed either. He was visibly introverted. After answering a few questions from reporters, he rejoined his family. "We're going to talk to the Red Cross now," he said.

Bruins Slot informed that the returnees are receiving medical and psychological care. Not everyone can go home or to relatives. For people who have nowhere to go, overnight shelter is being organized, she said. The municipalities they go to will be informed of their arrival, the minister said.

According to her, there are still 22 Dutch people in the Gaza Strip, but more compatriots could come forward, she claimed. She did not know when the latecomers would be able to leave for the Netherlands. "I have no influence on the lists of who is allowed to cross the border," she said. According to the minister, there are a total of around 8,000 people who want to leave the Gaza Strip.