Montreal police boost patrols before anniversary of attack on Israel, start of latest war in Gaza

Montreal police announced Friday morning that they will be increasing their presence across the city to ensure the safety of Arab-Muslim and Jewish communities ahead of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel's recent military actions in Gaza.

At a press conference, SPVM deputy chief Vincent Richer and chief inspector Mohamed Bouhdid stated that a "visibility plan" was implemented on Oct. 1 to "enhance the sense of security." Additional personnel have been deployed, particularly in areas significant to the Jewish and Arab-Muslim communities.

Bouhdid noted that reports of incidents related to the ongoing conflict have significantly decreased in Montreal over the past three months. "We encourage people to continue their regular activities," Richer said.

Police arrested five individuals, including two adults and three minors, who were found with incendiary materials overnight Tuesday in Côte Saint-Luc and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

With demonstrations expected over the weekend and into next week, Bouhdid emphasized the importance of peaceful protests. "The majority of these events have occurred peacefully. Montreal is a safe city, and we urge everyone to help maintain that," he said.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the SPVM has recorded 345 demonstrations related to the conflict. Montreal police affirmed they will not hesitate to intervene and arrest individuals involved in violent or criminal activities. Over 100 arrests have been made in connection to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

Additional Security Measures

McGill University has implemented special security protocols to limit campus access from Saturday to Monday. Concordia University has also increased security and made attendance on Monday optional, allowing professors to teach online if needed.

Local synagogues have heightened security measures ahead of key Jewish holidays this week.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages to Gaza, based on Israeli reports. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, as of last month, Israeli strikes had killed over 40,000 Palestinians, displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, and caused widespread destruction, severely impacting food supplies and the health-care system.

The violence has also extended to the West Bank, where over 680 Palestinians have been killed, mostly by Israeli forces, with some casualties resulting from Israeli settlers.

In March, UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese stated there were "reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide" has been met in the region.

Hostilities have also intensified between Israel and Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have resulted in over 1,000 deaths and thousands of injuries, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly killed by Israel, and the exchange of rocket fire between Hezbollah and Israel has escalated in recent months. Iran also launched a series of ballistic missiles at Israel shortly after Nasrallah's assassination.