From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 22, 2025
Israeli family attacked at Dutch holiday park after local group urges action against tourists from Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA family of Israeli tourists was attacked at a holiday park in the Netherlands Thursday evening, days after local anti-Israel groups posted videos online of Israeli tourists at another park and “called for action against them,” Israel’s embassy in The Hague says, though local police reportedly says the victims’ nationality was not the cause for the attack.
Two victims of the attack at Center Parcs De Kempervennen, near Eindhoven, required hospitalization, and one suspect was detained, the embassy says in a Dutch-language statement, adding that “it is assumed that multiple suspects were involved.”
The embassy, whose building was defaced last week, adds that this is the latest in a series of attacks on Israelis visiting the Netherlands.
“We expect the Dutch authorities to take all necessary measures to protect Israelis and Jews in the Netherlands. Intimidation and violence against individuals because of their background is unacceptable,” the embassy says.
Dutch media identifies the hospitalized Israelis as a 37- and 41-year-old, one of whom suffered a head wound, and the detained suspect as a 15-year-old boy.
According to local newspaper Eindhovens Dagblad, the violence took place amid a paintball game between the Israeli tourists and another group, and police say the Israelis’ nationality was not the reason for the attack.
However, the outlet says “discriminatory and threatening slogans were shouted during the altercation,” and quotes a Dutch Jewish community group that was in contact with the victims as saying they were deliberately attacked because they were Israeli.
In recent weeks, Israeli tourists have experienced several high-profile anti-Israel incidents, including attacks and protests, amid the war in Gaza sparked by the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023. A poll published earlier this month found a majority of Israelis fear they won’t be able to travel abroad due to mounting global criticism of the Jewish state.
The Times of Israel Community.