French officials have raised concerns about a significant terrorist threat on New Year's Eve, citing the conflict in Gaza.“I’ve requested a very strong mobilisation of police forces and the gendarmerie under the context of a very high terrorist threat, of course, due to what’s happening in Israel and Palestine," The Telegraph quoted Darmanin as saying. Around 5,000 soldiers from Operation Sentinel, a military initiative designed to safeguard the French population from terrorism, along with 35,000 firefighters, will be deployed.
In Paris, where an estimated 1.5 million individuals are anticipated to gather on the Champs-Elysees for the New Year's Eve countdown, 6,000 officers will be actively patrolling. Additionally, police will be authorized to incorporate drones into their operations for the first time.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of potential violence, Germany is making preparations, and authorities have declared one of the most extensive police operations in years to ensure the security of the streets of Berlin.
According to the report, Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, said, she was “concerned that New Year’s Eve could once again be a day on which we experience blind rage and senseless violence".
She stressed violence had increased on December 31 in recent years. Feaser added, “Of course, we have to keep a very close eye on the danger of this mixing with radicalisation, which we are now seeing in light of the Middle East conflict."
Approximately 4,000 police officers will be stationed across the German capital, with additional support from officers brought in from various regions. Germany has experienced a rise in reported terror plots since the commencement of the Gaza conflict, leading to the closure of Cologne Cathedral over Christmas due to concerns about a potential Islamic State (IS) attack.
In France, Darmanin said, “The situation in Israel and Gaza had exacerbated the terror threats it was facing," but noted the country has been a “target for attacks for many years."
France elevated its counter-terrorism alert to its highest level in mid-October, following the fatal stabbing of a teacher in Arras by a radicalized former student who reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar" during the attack. This incident occurred a week after Hamas initiated its attack on Israel on October 7.
At that time, Interior Minister Darmanin asserted a connection between the attack in Arras and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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