NYC Israel-Hamas Protests: Times Square Rally, Pol's Gun Arrest & More

NEW YORK CITY — A mass of protesters in Times Square calling for Palestinian freedom was met by a counterprotesters and a surge of NYPD officers amid another tense day in New York City.

Police divided the pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sides, according to videos from the Friday protest, which drew concerns of growing violence in the city.

"Free Palestine" signs could be seen in the crowd, videos show.

The stepped-up police presence came after a former Hamas leader called for worldwide protests in support of Palestinians, said Mayor Eric Adams during a Thursday security briefing.

But widespread social media posts that warned of a "global day of jihad" and potential violence on the streets of New York were rife with misinformation and disinformation, WIRED reported.

The Hamas leader didn't use the phrase "global day of jihad" and explicitly directed his call for protests in the Arab and Islamic worlds, according to the report. And much of the violent rhetoric online came from right-wing accounts, such as that of Charlie Kirk, who wrote, "Day of Jihad? Arm up," the report found.

New York City officials, however, didn't take any chances.

"There are no specific, credible threats to New York City," the NYPD's official account tweeted. "We are aware of the concern that postings circulating online have caused, and we have increased our uniform deployments at large gatherings and cultural sites to ensure public safety out of an abundance of caution."

The protests also unfolded as Israel's military told roughly 1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate south ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas.

The U.N. warned that ordering almost half the Gaza population to flee en masse would be calamitous. It urged Israel to reverse the unprecedented directive.

President Joe Biden on Friday also reinforced the distinction between Palestinians and Hamas.

"We can’t lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas' appalling attacks," he said.

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Gun-toting, protest-going Brooklyn lawmaker arrested

A City Council member who took a gun to a pro-Palestinian rally at Brooklyn College has been arrested, police said.

Inna Vernikov, who represents parts of Brooklyn, faces a criminal possession of a firearm charge and surrendered her gun and permit license to cops, authorities said.

Her arrest prompted a wave of denunciations across New York City, including from the students who organized the Thursday rally she attended. They called her carrying a gun to their protest a "blatant act of incitement of violence against Palestinian, Arab and Muslim" students.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was more succinct.

"New York's gun safety laws apply to everyone," she tweeted.

Vernikov faces an ethics probe by her City Council colleagues.

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NYPD Commissioner Is Overseas As Protests Grow: Report

As security fears in New York City as the Israel-Hamas war raged, the city's elected leaders and police officials made repeated public appearances to reassure city dwellers.

But one prominent official has been noticeably absent: NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.

Turns out the NYPD's top honcho is actually in Qatar, the New York Post first reported.

"This is one heck of a time to be out of town," an unnamed City Council member told the Post, according to the report.

Caban's absence became clear when he didn't appear for a high-profile security briefing with Mayor Eric Adams.

The commish was slated to appear by video, but ultimately didn't because of technical difficulties.

Patch writers Emily Rahhal, Nicole Rosenthal and Peter Senzamici contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.