The Dutch government is sending patrol vessel HNLMS Holland to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The naval vessel can provide support there in the event of an evacuation from the region. It can also contribute with allies to a maritime corridor to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced this on 8 November, also on behalf of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, in a letter to the House of Representatives.
HNLMS Holland will leave the Netherlands on 17 November. The ship will then arrive in the area of operations a week and a half later. The duration of the deployment depends on current developments.
The government sees that the situation surrounding the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas is developing rapidly. The fighting has a major impact on the population in both Israel and the Palestinian territories. In Gaza in particular, the situation is very serious. Here, residents need immediate humanitarian assistance. Expanding and accelerating access to the area by land is therefore a priority.
But options by sea and air are also being considered. The operational details for possible deployment of HNLMS Holland are being worked out in more detail, in close coordination with international partners.
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C-130 transport aircraft
The Netherlands is currently already present in Cyprus with two C-130 transport aircraft and a unit of marines. One of the aircraft will return in the near future. Once in the Netherlands, it will be made ready for rapid deployment for when needed. The other C-130 and marines will remain on standby in Cyprus, according to the current schedule until the end of this year.
Minister Ollongren was visiting the Dutch detachment in Cyprus on 8 November.
Picture by the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
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