NYPD steps up security across the Big Apple and orders all officers ‘to be in full uniform until further notice’ amid Israel-Hamas protests

New York City has stepped up security in the Big Apple, ordering all NYPD officers to be in full uniform “until further notice” amid protests between Israel and Hamas.

The force has stressed that there is no specific threat to the city and that they are only taking these actions as a precaution, with more protests expected.

“There are no specific, credible threats to New York City,” the NYPD said Tuesday evening.

“We are aware of the concern that messages circulating online have caused, and we have increased our uniform deployment at large gatherings and cultural venues to ensure public safety out of an abundance of caution.”

The comments came as pro-Palestinian and Israeli protesters clashed in the city’s Washington Square park.

One protester was filmed burning the Israeli flag as demonstrators from both sides of the conflict entered the park.

Video of the event shows several Palestinian supporters chanting “Allahu Akbar!” as they burned the Jewish state’s Star of David flag.

A protester wearing red clothing added: ‘Come on, take this s**t! F**k Israel!’

Together with other campus organizations, they marched to criticize the university’s president for denouncing the Hamas attack.

They accused NYU President Linda Mills of “erasing” Palestinians in her comments on the shocking Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people.

The huge crowd eventually came face to face with the pro-Israel supporters.

Other than the flag burning, the event appeared peaceful, but the NYPD tried to create separation between the groups, according to police NBC New York.

Further protests occurred today in Manhattan and on Capitol Hill in Washington.

In New York, a pro-Palestine protest was held at the CUNY Graduate Center next to the Empire State Building.

Protesters held signs reading “CUNY for Palestine” and “CUNY teachers stand with Palestine,” while another said, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Outside New York City, there were also calls for a ceasefire from protesters on Capitol Hill, with a large group taking over the rotunda of the Cannon House office building.

The large group held signs that read, among other things, “Marry for the dead and fight like hell for the living,” while others wore t-shirts that read, “Jews now say ceasefire.”

Police eventually arrested several protesters from the group known as the “Jewish Voice for Peace.”

As the conflict continues, local and federal law enforcement also announced they would increase their patrols near Jewish houses of worship, Jewish businesses and Israeli diplomatic buildings.

NBC reported that agencies in cities such as New York and Washington, DC, as well as federal agencies, are increasing their security positions.

“We are in a heightened position talking to our colleagues across the country. This is the highest level of security that many cities have had in a long time,” an official told the newspaper.

It comes after former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called for a day of jihad last Friday, telling Muslims to “take to the streets” in protest against Israel.

“(We must) go to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,” said Khaled Meshaal, who currently heads Hamas’ diaspora office.

“Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan… This is a moment of truth and the borders are close, you all know your responsibility,” Meshaal said in a recorded statement. “For all scholars who teach jihad… for all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application (of theories).”

New York City, like many melting pot communities across the country, is feeling anxious about the attacks over the past week.

Several Palestinian Americans interviewed Friday in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Arab population said the atmosphere had been tense over the past week.

Jumana Alkaram said she has not been personally threatened, but that: “I know that if I were to demonstrate my heritage or the Palestinian flag, there would be some kind of threat. Because the majority has the support of Israel and does not have the full, legitimate story about what is happening in Gaza.”

In New York City, a Palestinian restaurant, Ayat, was forced to disconnect its phone after receiving “non-stop” threatening voicemails, according to co-owner Abdul Elenani.

A mural of a crying Palestinian hangs on the storefront, and the menu includes calls to “end the occupation.”

On Friday, a man entered the dining room and shouted “terrorist” at the people behind the counter, Elenani said.

Still, the hostile reception was overshadowed by the support he received from his neighbors, many of whom are Jewish and share his views on minimizing civilian deaths, he said.

“In New York, we all live together, work together, grow together,” Elenani said. “And we all want this violence to stop.”