Calgary police to increase patrols amid war in Israel

Officers in Calgary say they are going to increase patrols near places of worship as a form of “proactive policing” following the surprise attack in Israel.

“In light of the attacks against Israel and rising violence in the Middle East, we recognize the concern that this brings to our local community,” police said in a post on X. “We continue to stand by our law enforcement partners and trusted community leaders to ensure the safety of all Calgarians.”

It’s unclear what this police presence will look like, but officers say there is no specific threat to the public in the city.

The attack from Hamas militants during Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the end of the yearly cycle of public Torah readings, is being called one of the deadliest on Israel in decades.

The Israeli military says Hamas fired 3,500 rockets from 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, striking multiple cities, including Tel Aviv.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet officially declared the country at war in an announcement on Sunday.

Related Stories:

• ‘We are at war’: Hamas surprise attack against Israel leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation

• Israel battles Hamas militants as country’s death toll reaches 600

At this time, rescue service officials tell Israel media that at least 600 people have been killed, including 44 soldiers, and 2,000 were wounded in the attack. The military also says there was a “substantial” number of Israelis who were abducted Saturday, but did not give an exact figure.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry says 313 people have died in the territory, including 20 children, and nearly 2,000 people wounded. An Israeli official said the military had killed 400 militants and captured dozens more.

UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinians, said more than 20,000 Palestinians left Gaza’s border region to head further inside the territory and take refuge in U.N. schools.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu said its military will go into the places that “Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins,” telling Gaza residents to “Get out of there now.” There is currently no way to leave the territory of 2.3 million people as there is a border blockade, which has been enforced by Israel and Egypt since Hamas militants seized control in 2007.

The attack, named “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, and a series of recent incidents that have heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions, according to Mohammed Deif, leader of Hamas’ military wing.

-With files from Tia Goldenberg and Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press