Muslim School Children Receive Sinister Death Threat From Israel Supporter

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, an independent Islamic school in the United Kingdom is facing death threats towards its young students after receiving a threatening letter from an Israel supporter.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history. In response, Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. As of Saturday, at least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing the Israeli government. More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the AP said.

Since then, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests have been seen around the globe as tensions escalate—with many calling for a lasting ceasefire amid the rising death toll in the conflict. In addition, authorities across the globe have been on high alert for violence driven by Islamophobic or antisemitic sentiment, with Muslim and Jewish groups reporting a rise in hateful rhetoric.

On Thursday, Apex Primary, an independent Islamic school in east London for children ages 3 to 11 years old, received a handwritten letter threatening that a "surprise" would kill everyone at the school, including the children on Friday. It was signed: "Yours faithfully. Your terrorist friend."

Newsweek has reached out to Apex Primary via email for comment.

The letter, addressed to "pedophiles," continues by stating they wished "Israel bombed more of those filthy rascals." They wrote: "You deserve to die. But don't worry your surprise will come to you on Friday 8th of December." The letter went on to say that a bomb would explode at 9 a.m.

According to The Mirror, in a correspondence sent to parents, Apex headteacher Meherun Hamid explained how the "letter made direct threats against the school and our children, indicating that some action will be taken on Friday 8th December at 9 a.m."

Hamid said that the school notified the Metropolitan Police, who have stepped up patrols and beefed up security, advising parents to "remain vigilant" but to be "assured" staff are "committed to maintaining a secure environment." In addition, Hamid told parents that due to the risks, children did not have to go into school on that Friday.

In a statement to The Mirror, the Metropolitan Police said, "We are investigating after a threatening letter was sent to a school in Ilford. Officers have been in touch with staff at the school to ensure the relevant security measures are in place. This will include increased patrols around the school. Enquiries are ongoing to identify who sent the letter. There have been no arrests."

Apex Primary School said this is not the first time a threat like this has happened.

"Regrettably, this is not the first instance of such threats targeting our school, and it is disheartening to acknowledge that it may not be the last unless decisive measures are taken," the school said.

Sam Tarry, a member of the U.K. Parliament, said how the letter made "direct reference to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and highlights the tragic killing of innocent children as something to celebrate," according to The Independent.

The letter follows a spike in Islamophobia in the U.K., as more than 700 people were also evacuated from an East London Mosque on Thursday following a "credible" bomb threat.

The Whitechapel mosque—one of the largest in the country—was sent an anonymous email that claimed a bomb had been placed in the mosque minutes earlier. It immediately sounded the alarm, prompting an estimated 700 people, including three nearby schools, to be evacuated.

The mosque has doubled its security since the threat.