Four Dutch activists from Gaza flotilla safe in Madrid, returning to Netherlands today
The first four Dutch activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla who were allowed to leave Israel arrived safely in Madrid on Sunday night. They will travel to the Netherlands on Monday and are expected to arrive at Schiphol Airport this afternoon, a spokesperson for the flotilla told RTL Nieuws.
The four Dutch people were among the over 450 activists arrested by Israel as they tried to bring food to Gaza in a flotilla of 40 ships. Israel intercepted the vessels and arrested the activists, including 16 people from the Netherlands - ten Dutch and six with other nationalities who live in the country.
Over the weekend, Israel released four of the Dutch people in its custody. They departed from Israel with Spanish and Portuguese activists and arrived in Madrid on Sunday night.
Staff from the Dutch embassy took the four in and are assisting them with their return to the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RTL. A spokesperson for the Dutch delegation in the Global Sumud Flotilla added that they are scheduled to land at Schiphol Airport this afternoon.
The spokesperson for the Dutch delegation said that Israel also released one of the six Netherlands residents who don’t have a Dutch passport. A person with a Portuguese passport who lives in the Netherlands was also released. It is not yet known when they will return to the Nehterlands.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was committed to ensuring the good treatment and swift return of the other six Dutch nationals still in Israeli custody.
The arrest of the activists on the flotilla sparked massive protests worldwide. The Hague police arrested 205 people protesting at the Den Haag Central Station on Thursday evening. More protests followed this weekend, calling on global governments to stop Israel’s war on Gaza. In Amsterdam, 250,000 people joined the red line protest against the Gaza war.
Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the war in Gaza, sparked by a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, killing 1,137 people.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has killed at least 67,139 people, including at least 19,424 children, in the Gaza Strip. At least 169,583 people are injured, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health updated on October 5.
In addition to the continued attacks, Israel has also not let aid into Gaza in any significant amounts for months. Among the people killed are 459 Gazans who starved to death. 154 of them were children and babies.
