The leadership of the Hamas terror organization has called on all of its supporters around the world to hold a "Day of Rage" on Friday and attack Israelis and Jews in reaction to Operation Swords of Iron.
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In the wake of the announcement, some Jewish schools around the world will be closed on Friday, and Israelis living abroad have been warned to take precautions.
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Man tearing down Israeli flags outside Jewish day school in Montreal, Canada, in April
(Photo: Screenshot)
Israel's National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry recommended that Israelis abroad "be alert, keep away from the demonstrations and protests and – if necessary – check with local security forces regarding possible protests and disturbances in the area."
Following the call for the Day of Rage, security has been stepped up for Jewish institutions and communities in the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden met on Thursday with senior members of his National Security Council and received updates on increased security for Jewish and Muslim educational institutions.
Also on Thursday, the Netherlands announced that Jewish schools in the country will be shuttered on Friday. Meanwhile, Britain closed its Jewish schools until at least Monday.
Two Jewish schools in London - Torah Vodaas Primary School in Edgware and Atres Beit Yaakov Primary School in Colindale – announced that they would be closed until Monday due to fears of antisemitism, after there had been 89 antisemitic incidents recorded across the UK during the four days since the start of Swords of Iron, a tripling of such incidents, according to the British antisemitism watchdog Community Security Trust.
Three Jewish schools in Amsterdam announced that they would be closed on Friday as a precaution due to fear for the safety of schoolchildren. It is the first time that such school closures have taken place there.
A spokeswoman for Amsterdam Mayor Pemka Halsma said in response to the closure that the municipality, together with the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), raised the level of alertness due to the current events in Israel and are prepared to take additional overt and covert security measures.
NBC News reported that law enforcement officials have been monitoring “a lot of chatter” on social media about retaliatory attacks against Israelis and Jews due to Israel's strikes on Gaza.
Police Departments in major cities including New York and Los Angeles have ordered their entire forces to be in uniform and on patrol on the city streets on Friday. In Washington DC, the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service are increasing their monitoring for such activity and have added more security officers around the Israeli Embassy and other potential flashpoints, according to the report.