Netherlands summons Israeli ambassador over attack on ambulances in Gaza
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp has summoned the Israeli ambassador to “provide clarification on recent events and developments in the Gaza Strip.” The minister notified Parliament about this in a letter on Tuesday, saying the ambassador is expected to attend a meeting at the ministry on Wednesday.
Last week, the Cabinet condemned an attack by the Israeli forces on a convoy of ambulances in Gaza. A total of 15 aid workers died in the attack.
Israel’s military maintained this week that the ambulance convoy posed a threat, and that the attack was justified. It said that that six of those killed were identified as Hamas members, and that there had been an earlier clash in the same area.
The aid workers were shot dead on March 23, and were buried in a shallow grave. Israel initially claimed the troops opened fire after unmarked vehicles approached in the dark. But footage later emerged showing the vehicles clearly visible as ambulances and fire trucks, driving with their lights on, forcing the IDF to admit it had made a mistake.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the incident remained under investigation. The preliminary “investigation indicated that forces opened fire due to a perceived threat following an earlier encounter in the area.”
Five aid organizations on Monday said they pleaded in vain for a “fundamental change” in the Cabinet’s policy on Gaza during a meeting with Prime Minister Dick Schoof, which Veldkamp attended. They advocated for more steps against Israel, after it again launched an offensive in Gaza.
The government decided to stick with diplomacy, said representatives from Oxfam Novib, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Pax and Amnesty International after the meeting, which had already been postponed twice. They are advocating for sanctions against Israel to enforce an immediate ceasefire and an end to military cooperation.
The aid workers said they think the Cabinet is pushing a double standard, pointing out that the Cabinet has pushed consequences for international law violations during other conflicts in Myanmar, Ukraine and Syria. “We are not asking for anything strange,” said Pim Kraan of Save the Children. Doctors without Borders expressed concern with the situation in Gaza appearing to deteriorate as medical supplies and food run low, creating the appearance that the threat of famine, disease, dehydration and lack of medical care is being weaponized.
Prime Minister Schoof said on X that he was not deaf to the criticism. “We are constantly looking at which steps can best be taken and in what way we can achieve the most. The Cabinet continues to consistently call on Israel to comply with the international humanitarian law.”
Veldkamp later announced that day that the Netherlands will monitor the transit and export of all military goods to Israel, including goods which have both civilian and military purposes. The step is “desirable given the security situation in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the wider region,” wrote Veldkamp and Foreign Trade Minister Reinette Klever to Parliament.
Thus far, these goods could always be exported to Israel with a general permit, namely NL007 and NL010. Now, a permit will have to be applied for for each export, which will be tested against European rules. Last year, the Netherlands was ordered by the courts to stop sending parts for the F-35 fighter jet from Woensdrecht because there was a risk that they would be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip. The government appealed against that ruling.
With the general permit NL007, military goods were transported to Israel. According to the Cabinet, this has not happened since October 7, 2023, when the war in Gaza began. The conflict began with a Hamas attack on Israel in which approximately 1,200 people were killed. More than 50,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since then.
The NL010 permit is intended for the export of low-risk information security goods, such as routers. It is “unlikely” that these goods ended up with the Israeli armed forces, according to Klever and Veldkamp.
