NEW YORK (PIX11) – The NYPD said it’s working in a heightened threat environment amid dozens of nonviolent protests about the Israel-Hamas conflict taking place across the city.
All uniformed NYPD members reported to work Wednesday. A Pro-Israeli protest was held in Manhattan’s East Side and a Pro-Palestinian protest took place in Astoria.
More than 2,000 people attended the protest in Astoria, according to the NYPD.
The protests came after airstrikes were launched on a hospital in Gaza. Both Hamas and Israel have denied responsibility for the explosion, and President Joe Biden said he believes the rocket was a misfire from terrorists.
Some Pro-Palestinian protesters at the Astoria rally said they doubt that account of what happened.
The NYPD said it has continued to step up its presence at the rallies and beyond. Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that there haven’t been any credible threats.
“Remember that the events overseas, I say over and over again, those things that play out on the international stage, they play out on the streets of the City of New York. These things may have resonated here at home,” Adams said.
A rally that will call for the release of hostages captured by Hamas will be held Thursday in Times Square at 6 p.m.
