A man who threw a Molotov cocktail at the Israeli embassy in The Hague in March has been jailed for 2.5 years, broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old was arrested several minutes after the attack thanks to security camera footage. He later admitted throwing an olive oil bottle filled with petrol and a lit piece of cloth at the building.

The attack caused a fire on part of the frontage of the building and surrounding shrubbery but caused minimal damage, NOS said.

The man said he wanted to draw attention to the situation in Gaza but “he should have done this in a different, peaceful manner,” the court said.

The court said the 2.5 year jail term was appropriate because it was a planned attack. Three weeks before the incident he had also travelled to The Hague with a bottle of petrol to throw at the embassy but did not use it.