Massachusetts authorities say they are prepared to support cities and towns across the state after a former Hamas leader made a generic call for protesters to stage demonstrations on Friday.ABC News reported that every major city police department in the United States is on a heightened state of alert, monitoring the situation heading into Friday. Each department is working on its own plans on a case-by-case basis.Israel’s Foreign Ministry warned Israelis abroad to avoid demonstrations said to have been called for by Hamas in cities around the world, saying they could become violent.In a joint statement with Israel’s National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday that there is a concern that Israelis or Jews could be targeted during the protests. The ministry statement said protests are expected on Friday and urged Israelis to be cautious.”The Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Fusion Center, Watch Center and Anti-Terrorism Unit continue to monitor developments related to the ongoing attacks against the state of Israel,” a written statement from a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson, said. “At this time we are aware of no specific or credible threats related to that conflict made against locations or groups within Massachusetts.””We are prepared to support communities and educational institutions with protest and civil disorder response if needed,” the state police spokesperson wrote. Police in Newton said on social media that they have been taking added precautions since Saturday morning and have been in close touch with Jewish and Israeli affiliated institutions as well as Newton Public Schools and will be providing extra security measures.In New York, Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there were “no credible or specific threats” against the city ahead of possible demonstrations.The New York Police Department canceled vacations and instructed all members to show up in uniform, according to a message sent to the rank and file obtained by ABC News.Police in Massachusetts said they were communicating with international, federal and local law enforcement agencies and would advise its partners and other relevant organizations of any potential threats.

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