Dutch fugitive who abducted his children among those killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza
An Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip killed a Dutch citizen who was convicted last year of abusing his wife and forcing their five children to live with him in the Palestinian region. The 41-year-old is at least the second Dutch citizen whose death was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hassan Abu Shaeera was convicted by the District Court in Midden-Nederland in June 2024, and ordered to serve three and a half years in prison. His death was first confirmed by RTL Nieuws, who spoke to the man’s attorney, though it is not clear when he died. Four of the children are still believed to be in Gaza.
The court heard testimony stating that two years earlier, he and his wife had lived together in their home in Nieuwegein, Utrecht, when they traveled with their five minor-age children to Gaza. The visit was supposed to last about a month, with a return to the Netherlands scheduled for August 19, just a few days before classrooms in the region were due to reopen after the summer holiday.
She told the court, “[He] took my passport and the children’s passports. In early August, I asked [him] when we would return to the Netherlands because the children had to go back to school. [He] told me I had to stay in Palestine with the children.” Now about 35 years old, the woman said she tried to bring the five children herself from Gaza into Egypt, but it was not allowed without his consent.
The children born in 2009, 2011, and 2013 all have a place of birth in an area governed by Israel, while the children born in 2017 and 2021 were born in the Netherlands. A family services organization brought the matter before a juvenile court judge, who entered an order placing the children under their supervision.
The father returned to the Netherlands to discuss the matter with authorities, and he agreed to safely return the children to the Netherlands by October 7, 2022. He then largely cut off contact, except allowing the mother “occasional contact with her children,” the family services firm said.
At one point, the suspect told his wife in a text message, “I can do whatever I want with my children, I am responsible for my children. Even if they die one by one, it’s normal as long as they’re with papa.” War broke out a year later, when Hamas militants launched a plot to kidnap and murder Israelis located near the Gaza border. The intense retaliation by Israel has continued for over 23 months since then.
The second-oldest child, who would now be about 14 years of age, did return to the Netherlands in October 2023 “due to his health,” according to the court. That same month, he allegedly attacked the children’s mother, now his ex-wife, first by pushing her from behind, and then by hitting and kicking her repeatedly while she was on the ground. He also tried to choke her either with one or both hands, and may have attempted to use a headscarf to strangle her, according to the victim.
He was arrested and held in pre-trial detention for 39 days, but was released on his recognizance. convicted of assault, but on a lesser charge. He was also convicted of intentionally removing the children from their legal guardians. “Even when the situation in Gaza escalated, the suspect took no action. Four of the five children are currently still in Gaza, where their safety is not guaranteed,” the court wrote in its opinion.
“The court finds it particularly reprehensible that, even in this extremely unsafe situation, the suspect has made no effort to bring the children to the Netherlands.” He was convicted and sentenced to 42 months in prison, and the court imposed a 5-year restraining order preventing him from contacting his ex-wife except with regards to returning the children to her custody. He was also ordered to pay 25,000 euros in damages, plus interest, to his ex-wife.
He is the second Dutch person to die in Gaza since the start of the war. Islam Omar al-Ashqar, 33, was killed a few weeks after the war began when an Israeli airstrike leveled a market.
She was among the two dozen people who requested assistance from the Dutch government to leave the war-torn region. She had been on holiday visiting her family, and tried to leave Gaza by entering into Egypt.
