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Edited by: Fern Sidman
On Monday, hundreds of pro-Hamas activists gathered outside Tisch Hospital in New York City, intensifying the city’s already charged atmosphere amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. According to a report on The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) website, the demonstrators accused Israel of abducting over 450 medical personnel, an accusation vehemently denied by Israeli authorities.
What sort of monster protests in front of NYU Tisch hospital calling for the removal of all Zionists (aka Jews) while wearing a terrorist Hamas headband?
Connecticut resident Mohammad Shaham. pic.twitter.com/dbSvo1m4R0
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 8, 2025
While the pro-Hamas crowd dominated the scene with chants such as “We don’t want no Zionists here” and “Palestine, you make us proud,” a smaller but vocal group of pro-Israel supporters also assembled in counter-protest. The conflicting sides clashed multiple times, leading to police intervention to restore order. JNS noted that the demonstrators carried signs bearing incendiary slogans, including “Gaza forever,” “Abolish Israel,” and “Right of Return.” Such language has repeatedly drawn condemnation from Jewish advocacy organizations, who view these slogans as calls for the erasure of the State of Israel.
The protest was organized by the Within Our Lifetime group, which has been at the forefront of several recent pro-Hamas demonstrations in New York. JNS reported that one of the central demands of the protest was the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Gaza hospital director detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) due to his ties to Hamas. While supporters of Dr. Abu Safiya claim his detention is unjust, Israeli officials have asserted that evidence links him to Hamas’s operations.
HAPPENING NOW: Fed up Americans are ripping down Palestinian flags after Hamas supporters decided to protest the Tisch NYU Cancer Hospital.
Enough is enough, Americans don’t want these terror supporters in our streets. pic.twitter.com/CDoVSLEaaY
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 6, 2025
This demonstration followed a highly controversial New Year’s Day protest in Times Square, which JNS highlighted as particularly alarming given the timing. Just hours earlier, a man in New Orleans drove a pickup truck bearing an Islamic State flag into a crowd, killing 15 people and injuring 35 others. Despite the tragedy, the protestors in Times Square pressed forward with incendiary chants and slogans.
Citing the New York Post, JNS reported that the anti-Israel demonstrators were heard chanting “there is only one solution: intifada revolution” during their march. Calls for an “intifada” evoke memories of the deadly Palestinian uprisings that resulted in thousands of casualties, including civilians, during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The protesters also shouted “we will honor all our martyrs,” a phrase that means that individuals who carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel will be glorified. JNS emphasized that such chants go beyond political protest and veer into explicit endorsements of violence.
Speaking to The Jewish Voice on this matter was prolific author and expert commentator, Phyllis Chesler. “Let’s remember that what was discovered under hospitals and UNRWA schools in Gaza were terrorist enclaves for Hamas operatives. For many years now, Hamas has used hospitals and ambulances to shield their terrorists from possible Israeli apprehension. What these people are saying at this protest in New York is part of the Big Lie directed at Israel. They know that Israel did not abduct anyone but would like to peddle this nonsense to the masses to gain support, “ said Dr. Chesler.
She added that, “If these Hamas supporting protesters really want to rid the world of “Zionist” doctors and other medical personnel, they can take a principled stand and call for a boycott of all medical equipment and lifesaving devices invented by Israel. And while they’re at it, they can launch a boycott of medications developed in Israel and all medical technology developed in Israel that they know are being used to save lives not only in Gaza but all over the world.”
The convergence of these events—the Tisch Hospital protest, the Times Square demonstration, and the attack in New Orleans—reflects a troubling pattern. JNS pointed to a growing climate of radicalization, where slogans calling for an “intifada” are no longer confined to Middle Eastern battlefields but are being shouted on the streets of major American cities.
As tensions remain high in New York and around the world, JNS emphasized that such protests, while protected under the right to free speech, carry real consequences. The inflammatory rhetoric and glorification of violence seen outside Tisch Hospital cannot be divorced from the rising incidents of anti-Semitism and violence both in the United States and globally.
For now, New York remains on edge, with authorities closely monitoring upcoming protests to prevent further escalation. As The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) warns, the fine line between political expression and incitement to violence is one that must be vigilantly guarded in these turbulent times.
