Ahead Of Hamas Day Of Mobilization, No Specific Threats To North Shore

SKOKIE, IL — Skokie police said Thursday there are unaware of any credible threats to the village or the Chicagoland area following the attacks on Israel launched Saturday by Hamas, which has called for a day of general mobilization on Friday.

Officers investigating an online conversation between two Niles North High School students that included a discussion of a bomb and mentioned the school, as well as a local synagogue, determined that there was no credible threat after speaking with the high schoolers involved.

"Thank you to our community partners who shared this information to assist with an expeditious investigation into this incident in light of recent events, including the current conflict in Israel," police said in a statement.

Leaders of Hamas, which is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department and many U.S. allies, have declared Friday, Oct. 13 to be a day of mobilization.

In a statement, the terror group called for people around the world to "mobilize in solidarity with our Palestinian people and in support of their just cause and legitimate rights to freedom, independence, return, and self-determination."

In Israel, Hamas forces have killed more than 1,200 people — including children and more than 900 civilians — and wounded another 2,400 since launching the largest cross-border attacks on Israel in a half-century.

The dead include 27 U.S. citizens, officials said Thursday. An unknown number of Americans are among the roughly 150 people who are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas survived the initial wave of massacres.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry warned Israelis abroad to avoid demonstrations on Friday, suggesting Jews could be targeted during the protests. On Thursday, the Gaza-based Health Ministry reported that Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 1,500 people and wounded 6,600 others, including 276 women and 500 children, according to the Associated Press.

Skokie police said officers are aware of social media posts regarding the mobilization, which Hamas has dubbed "Al-Aqsa Flood Friday," according to a translation provided by the Middle East Research Institute.

"The Skokie Police Department has been monitoring these sites along with local and national law enforcement partners and community organizations relative to the threat levels here," it said.

Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said in a statement that he joined with President Joe Biden and Gov. J.B. Pritzker in pledging unequivocal support for the people of Israel.

"As a caring and welcoming community, Skokie grieves for the deaths at the hands of such brutality and we pray for the safe release of the hostages," Van Dusen said.

"Though there have been no credible threats to Skokie, our public safety personnel are on high alert as we take measures to protect our community from anyone seeking to perpetrate violence here," the mayor added. "This action by Hamas does not further the cause of the residents of Gaza. It only results in further division and loss of life."

Likewise, school administrators and city officials in Highland Park have announced plans for additional measures for Friday, though there have not been any specific threats lodged against the community or schools.

"District 113 is aware of the news reports of a call for additional violence on October 13," according to a joint statement from Security Director Amy Oliva and Superintendent Bruce Law. "We are in communication with local law enforcement, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center (STIC), and the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), and those agencies are reporting that there is no credible threat against our local community or schools."

North Shore School District 112 Superintendent Mike Lubelfeld echoed his counterparts at the high school.

"There have been no credible or specific threats made against Illinois, our community or the district," Lubelfeld said. "That said, we are keenly aware of what is going on and I am sensitive to the anxiety some people may be feeling."

In a statement, Highland Park city officials said they recognize the Oct. 7 attacks "have resulted in an increase of inflammatory, antisemitic rhetoric that is concerning."

City staff pledged to increase precautionary police patrols around synagogues, schools and other infrastructure, with plans to maintain additional surveillance as long as it is warranted.

It encouraged residents to look out for indicators of terror-related crime, like an unusual interest in buildings, taking covert pictures or video of infrastructure, entering restricted areas without authorization and acquiring or storing unusual materials or weapons.