Threat prompted extra security around Israeli embassy in The Hague

The area around the Israeli embassy in The Hague has been cordoned off due to a threat “that we must take very seriously,” Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague reported. More measures are needed, but he cannot make any statements “about the further nature of the measures,” he said, according to Omroep West.

The mayor did not say what kind of threat it was or who might be behind it. Van Zanen said that the city is in contact with the organizations located around the embassy that are also affected by the extra security measures. He did not say how long the barriers and other measures would be in place.

Israel has been bombarding the Palestinian Gaza Strip for months in retaliation for terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7. At least 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas attacks. As of Thursday, Israeli bombings have killed at least 27,840 people in Gaza, including 12,150 children, Al Jazeera reports based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Over 7,000 children are missing.

Last week, the police in Stockholm intercepted an explosive device placed at the Israeli embassy in the Swedish city. A Rotterdam man who is a suspect in a Hamas-linked terrorism investigation by the Danish and German authorities also appeared in court this week, fighting his extradition to Germany.

The conflict in the Gaza Strip has also caused tensions in the Netherlands. There were protests at the Peace Palace in The Hague around the genocide charges South Africa filed against Israel, as well as several sit-in protests at Central Stations and various other protests. The Ministry of Defense’s building was also previously smeared with red paint because of the Netherlands’ supply of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.