The NYPD has instructed all officers to report in uniform beginning Friday in preparation for potential violence arising from a call by a former leader of Hamas to hold global rallies in favor of Palestinians, according to the New York Post.
The directive will be in place “until further notice,” and officers will not be permitted to take vacations or switch shifts, the Post has learned.
“All uniformed members of the service in every rank, will perform duty in the uniform of the day and be prepared for deployment,” read a Wednesday memo sent to all NYPD members.
According to the internal document, the NYPD is also stepping up security at all of its 77 police precincts by designating extra officers to keep an eye on the stationhouses’ parking lots and entrances. The department also turned on its Joint Operations Center (JOC) at its Manhattan headquarters in preparation for potential disturbances.
Several organizations, including the Sanitation Department, the Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority, and the FDNY, will be obliged to notify the JOC “as soon as they become aware of any incidents related to this event” from Thursday through Sunday, the letter adds.
Khaled Meshaal, who commanded Hamas from 2004 to 2017, urged Muslims around the Islamic world to demonstrate on Friday, as Israeli forces continued to bombard the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the brutal surprise attack Hamas staged over the weekend.
New York City, which has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel and Palestinian pockets dispersed around the city, has been shaken by the escalating bloodshed in Israel and Gaza. 22 Americans are among the more than 1,200 persons who have died at the hands of Hamas terrorists in Israel, while 1,100 more have died in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks.
