London – A group of Israelis hanging posters on the streets of London of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza was attacked twice on Thursday, according to footage published by Channel 12 news.
In the first incident, which was not filmed, the group was hanging posters in north London’s Camden Town market area, when a woman began to shout at them. She accused them of spreading lies, and voiced support for the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.
Channel 12 reported that the situation became tense when a passerby joined the woman and began to film them, so they decided to leave the area.
The posters that the group was hanging feature the names and faces of the more than 120 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza after its terrorists stormed across the border on October 7, massacring some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 240 hostage; more than 100 have since been released.
Later in the day in nearby Chalk Farm, in northwest London, they reported another violent encounter as they were hanging posters.
In video footage published by Channel 12, two youths approached them and started asking questions, including “What about the Palestinians?” When the youths saw that one of the Israelis was filming them, he became physically abusive, threatening, “If you film me as well, I’ll slap you as well.”
In blurred footage, the man can be seen hitting and kicking a woman, amid shrieks and shouts, and throwing the phone on the ground multiple times.
According to the report, one of women received medical treatment at the scene. One of the Israelis involved in the incident told Channel 12 that police were investigating.
Antisemitism has skyrocketed around the world since war erupted between Israel and Hamas after the terror group’s October 7 massacre.
Israel’s military campaign, aimed at toppling the Hamas regime in Gaza and securing the release of the hostages, has come under harsh international criticism for its mounting death toll. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says some 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, though those figures cannot be independently verified and include combatants as well as civilians killed by misfired Gazan rockets; Israel says more than 8,000 were Hamas operatives.
In the UK, there were more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents reported between October 7 and December 7, the highest ever total reported to the Jewish community security organization CST across such a priod. Weekly rallies in London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have come under scrutiny for antisemitic chants and posters by some participants.
