Explosion Targets Jewish School in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema condemned the attack, calling it “a cowardly act of aggression toward the Jewish community.”

By United with Israel Staff

An explosion struck a Jewish school in Amsterdam Friday night in what officials described as a targeted antisemitic attack on the city’s Jewish community.

The blast damaged the exterior wall of the school in the Buitenveldert neighborhood, widely regarded as Amsterdam’s modern Jewish quarter and home to several synagogues, Jewish schools, and kosher restaurants.

Police said they have obtained images of the suspect believed to have detonated the device and are continuing efforts to identify and locate the individual responsible.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he spoke with leaders of the Dutch Jewish community following the explosion, expressing Israel’s solidarity as authorities investigate the incident.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema condemned the attack, calling it “a cowardly act of aggression toward the Jewish community.”

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten also denounced the incident, saying antisemitism has no place in the Netherlands and pledging to meet with Jewish community leaders to address security concerns.

The explosion in Amsterdam comes amid growing concern over threats targeting Jewish communities around the world. Just days earlier, an armed attacker targeted Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.

Authorities said the suspect approached the synagogue armed with a rifle and attempted a vehicle ramming before exchanging gunfire with security personnel outside the building. The attacker was killed at the scene and no additional casualties were reported.

Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-born American citizen. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that Ghazali carried out the attack, underscoring the continued security concerns facing Jewish institutions globally.