METRO ATLANTA — Area police departments are beefing up security for places of worship in the wake of the Israel war against Hamas.
Hamas, the militant group that launched a surprise attack on Israeli border towns, killed an estimated 1,400 Israelis Oct. 7, and Israel formally declared war soon after.
Since then, the health ministry in Gaza reported Oct. 19 that nearly 3,800 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 12,500 have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes. More than 1 million Palestinians have also been displaced.
Devastation in Gaza, where 99 percent of the population is Muslim, continues. The death toll of Palestinians rises in the West Bank as well, though it is not controlled by Hamas.
The FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities and institutions,according to an Oct. 18 press release. In recent news out of Joliet, Illinois, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death by a neighbor because he was Muslim.
North Atlanta is not far removed from hate-filled acts. In August, Appen Media reported that antisemitic flyers were spread around Roswell and Milton mere months after similar leaflets were distributed in Dunwoody, which houses the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, and Sandy Springs.
While local police departments have logged no rise in criminal activity associated with the war overseas, they are ramping up in preparation.
Appen Media contacted more than half a dozen law enforcement agencies, and all said they were stepping up efforts to protect places of worship, though mosques were mentioned as an afterthought in some cases.
Backing Israel
The Israel-Hamas war has resulted in an outpouring of support for the Israeli government, not just its people. According to a nationwide CNN poll, the majority of Americans surveyed say Israel’s response is justified.
At…
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