Brokerages, real state firms, and the offices of some major tech companies in New York City have either requested employees stay home on Friday or offered them the option to in response to the genocidal Islamist terror group Hamas calling for a “Day of Jihad” around the world.
Hamas leaders have spent much of the week celebrating the gruesome massacre of upwards of 1,300 civilians last Saturday in Israel, a terrorist attack branded the “al-Aqsa flood” that targeted a music festival and featured door-to-door mass killings of civilians. Israeli authorities have disclosed evidence, including images, of Hamas terrorists burning civilians alive, decapitating infants, and otherwise targeting unarmed civilians and the elderly.
Hamas terrorists also filmed themselves killing and desecrating the corpses of Israelis; in some instances, the jihadists uploaded images of dead bodies to the social media accounts of the civilians they killed using their victims’ mobile phones.
The attack occurred on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle.
In an effort to galvanize supporters to endorse their crimes, Hamas terrorists announced a call for a global “Day of Jihad” on Friday.
Students from Brooklyn College and supporters hold signs during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the entrance of the campus. The pro-Palestinian student organization Students for Justice In Palestine (SJP) held protests in colleges across the nation to show solidarity with Palestine. (Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“We declare next Friday, ‘The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,’ as a day of general mobilization in our Arab and Islamic world and among the free people of the world,” Hamas said in a statement. “It is a day for sacrifice, heroism, and dedication, and to earn the honor of defending the first Qibla of Muslims, the third holiest mosque, and the ascension of the trusted Messenger.”
Former Hamas chief Khalid Mashal separately encouraged Muslims and allies around the world to participate in the “Day of Jihad” by taking “to the streets” wherever they are.
“To all scholars who teach jihad,” he announced, “to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application [of jihad].”
New York City expects a significant number of people to fill Times Square and other public areas in support of the “Day of Jihad.” The Times Square event is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time. In anticipation of potential violence, many Manhattan offices chose to advise employees to stay home.
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At least three major real estate offices – Douglas Elliman, Corcoran and Coldwell Banker Warburg – shut their offices completely, according to the industry outlet The Real Deal. Another three – Brown Harris Stevens, Serhant, and Compass – gave employees the option to stay home.
They cited “safety” concerns as the reason for the policy change. Brown Harris Stevens explicitly cited “large-scale protests … in the wake of the attacks in Israel by Hamas” as the reason for allowing employees to work from home.
Bloomberg reported that the financial firm Morgan Stanley sent a similar message to employees suggesting they could stay home on Friday, as did Google, which operates a large office in New York.
“We encourage you to monitor the local news and use your judgment regarding your commute to determine if working from home tomorrow is a better option for you,” a message of Google employees read, according to Bloomberg. “Our offices will remain open, but as always we urge you to prioritize your personal health, safety and wellbeing. Please work with your manager to make sure you have what you need.”
Breitbart News independently confirmed with three other sources working in NYC offices that many businesses and non-profits who operate in Manhattan either shut their offices on Friday or offered the option to employees not to commute in.
The situation in New York has made Israelis in the city feel particularly vulnerable, the Times of Israel reported on Friday, as they fear supporters of Hamas will identify and target them.
Students from Hunter College participate during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the entrance of their campus. ( Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Israelis in New York have said they felt exposed — fears of violence that last week would have seemed outrageous now seemed plausible,” the newspaper documented. “Israelis learned of the attacks through surreal social media videos that showed how extensively the IDF had failed to stop the Hamas gunmen as they indiscriminately killed, kidnapped and raped civilians. The violence has widened heartbreaking divisions that many Israelis and Arabs have been working to overcome.”
“I feel that I’ll walk on the streets and speak Hebrew and something is going to happen to me,” an Israeli who identified herself as Kate said to the newspaper.
The Democrat leadership of New York held a press conference on Thursday evening to address the threat of the “Day of Jihad.”
“There is currently no intelligence showing any active threats in New York, that is, the entire state of New York,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told attendees. “But in a moment fraught like this, we will continue to exercise elevated vigilance and impose measures to deteriorate any potential violence.”
Hochul said that the National Guard was ready to deploy if violence erupted at a large scale.
The NYPD canceled all time off for police officers on Friday, ABC News reported, with the apparent notable exception of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, who is currently believed to be in Qatar, according to the New York Daily News. Qatar is also home to the headquarters of Hamas and the “political offices” of the Afghan Taliban.
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