Tens of thousands of people, including from New Jersey, took part Tuesday in a “March for Israel” in Washington D.C. as the Israel-Hamas war is entering its sixth week. They called for the release of 240 hostages captured by the Hamas militant group during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Tuesday’s rally in Washington comes after large protests in New Jersey and nationwide condemned the Israeli military for creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations went so far as to cite a risk of genocide for Palestinians as the Palestinian death toll climbs beyond 11,000, with hospitals crumbling and little to no food or fuel left in Gaza.
Local and federal agencies in New Jersey report a significant spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began.
James Dennehy, Special Agent in Charge of the Newark FBI field office, said. “Since October 7th, we’ve seen a tremendous spike in bias incidents and hate incidents right here in New Jersey and not just antisemitic, but also anti-Muslim and Arab as well.
“You still have to go to religious services and beyond, but just keep in mind that there is a spike in those types of bias incidents,” Dennehy said. “You have to be a little bit more vigilant when it comes to those things based on what’s going on in the world today.”
