Nearly a hundred members of the Royal Navy arrived this afternoon on the ship Zr.Ms. Holland left Den Helder for Gaza. There they will help with possible evacuations. Defense does not know exactly what the crew can expect, they are prepared for everything. It is difficult for them to say goodbye, partly because they will not be home for the upcoming holidays.
Most crew members were told two weeks ago, during a training in Kopenhangen, that they would be deployed to Gaza. Many of them were quite disappointed because it meant that they could not be with family and friends during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Military man Hendrik even had to give up his weekend at Disneyland with his daughter and husband. “Yes, that’s not fun, but you know what you sign up for and this can happen,” he says. Ship’s doctor Jacolinde de Visser had to cancel the skiing holiday with the family for this mission. “It’s a shame, but my family knows why I do it. And they also like that I do it.”
Humanitarian action
The journey to Gaza takes twelve days, along the way the crew stops for an evacuation exercise. “Medically, we are particularly prepared for evacuations,” says Jacolinde. There is therefore a large stock of medical supplies on board, also intended for children. “I normally never take that with me, but because it is a humanitarian action, we have it with us.”
Return
The ship is expected to return to the Netherlands in February 2024. So it is certain that family and friends will have to do without them during the holidays. “Yes, that is annoying, but we have agreed that we will continue with our plans,” says the mother of a soldier.