Leaders of Vancouver's Jewish, Muslim communities call for peace in Middle East

Members of B.C.'s Jewish and Muslim communities are calling for peace in the Middle East, and praying for civilians killed and wounded in the latest violence as the war between Israel and Hamas continued Friday.

Fears were heightened in Vancouver after a former Hamas leader called for worldwide protests to support the Palestinian cause.

Police cars were stationed outside local synagogues on Friday, after Mayor Ken Sim issued statements of solidarity with the Jewish community.

"The number one word to describe today is fear," said Rabbi Jonathan Infeld Friday at his Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue. "The very point of a terrorist is not just to kill and to maim, but the very point of a terrorist is to bring terror and terrify ... And we cannot give in to terrorism."

Infeld said he has heard from multiple members of his congregation who are afraid to even attend services at the synagogue.

Since Hamas militants murdered more than a thousand Israeli civilians in a surprise attack last Saturday, Infeld's time has been largely spent consoling and comforting members of his community.

Many of them are grieving lost loved ones, or afraid for their safety, he said.

"That's true grief," Infeld said. "With that type of grief, there's nothing that can be said."

The Israeli military says at least 1,300 people were killed by Hamas militants, while Gazan authorities say Israel has killed at least 1,800 Palestinians in Gaza. 

The Israeli military ordered some one million Palestinians living in the northern part of Gaza to immediately move south in advance of a ground invasion expected in the coming days.

Ken Sim and members of the Vancouver Police Department spoke at the Al Masjid Al Jamia mosque, where members of the city's Muslim community prayed together and sent a message of peace and love for civilians suffering on both sides of the violence.

"Our Jewish brothers and sisters, they're feeling hate, they're feeling rage, they're feeling pain," said Haroon Khan, a trustee of the mosque. "We understand it."

He said that civilians on all sides of the conflict should not be targeted with violence.

"What happened to the Israeli people is horrible," Khan said. "There is no excuse for it, I categorically condemn it."

"But you cannot put collective punishment on the people, and that's what's happening."

Vancouver's mayor urged understanding and respect on Friday.

"Make no mistake about it, Vancouver is place of peace, love and inclusion," Ken Sim said. 

Vancouver Police, meanwhile, made themselves more visible at Jewish places of worship and community centres.

"Right now, there's nothing that leads us to believe that there's any threat here in Vancouver," police spokesperson Sgt. Tania Visintin said.

"But having said that, we're taking extra precautions."