THE HAGUE, Feb 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Dutch police said Wednesday they had
found no explosives after a probe at the residence of the Israeli ambassador
in The Hague, which comes amid tightened security in the city.

The area had been cordoned off late Tuesday, with half a dozen ambulances,
fire engines, and police vehicles visible, according to an AFP reporter on
the scene.

But police later wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that after an investigation by
the military bomb squad, "it turns out not to have been an explosive."

"The area has been cleared," said police.

Authorities in The Hague had already imposed emergency security measures
around the Israeli embassy in response to an unspecified threat.

The emergency measures allowed police to search people in the area, make
additional checks and deny access if necessary.

Last month, the bomb squad in Sweden destroyed a "live" device at Israel's
embassy in Stockholm, in what authorities described as a potential "terrorist
crime."

Security has been stepped up around Israeli embassies across the world as the
country's military presses an offensive in Gaza following the deadly October
7 attacks by Hamas.

The unprecedented attacks by Hamas resulted in the deaths of around 1,160
people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official
figures.

Israel's military response has killed at least 28,473 people, mostly women
and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.