Israeli flags set on fire in Toronto, police investigating as suspected hate-motivated attack

Police are investigating a suspected hate-motivated act following reports of several Israeli flags being set alight in Toronto on Wednesday morning.

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Police have said that officers were called to the area of Sunrise Avenue and O’Connor Drive in North York at approximately 1:30 a.m., which is near Word of the Faith International Christian Centre.

A police spokesperson confirmed to National Post that the incident is currently being investigated by TPS’ Hate Crime Unit. There were no reported injuries and no arrests have been made at this time.

It comes on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

Mayoral candidate and City Coun. Brad Bradford commented on the incident on social media, describing it in a post on X as “an act of intimidation.”

Early this morning, someone set Israeli flags on fire outside a church in North York. Police are investigating it as a hate-motivated offence. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

This was not a protest. It was an act of intimidation, aimed at the Jewish community and it seems,… https://t.co/0bKTE7mSM4

— Brad Bradford (@BradMBradford) October 7, 2026

“I’m thinking today of Jewish families across Toronto who have spent 3 years watching this kind of thing move closer to their homes, their schools and their synagogues, and who are tired of being told it’s being taken seriously while it keeps happening,” he wrote.

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“Hate directed at any community is a threat to every community, and the people responsible for this need to be found and charged,” Bradford added.

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