Arrests in Times Square melee over Israel; Jewish man beaten

<p>NEW YORK &mdash; More than two dozen people were arrested as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed in New York City’s Times Square and police were investigating the gang assault of a Jewish man as a hate crime, police said Friday.</p>
<p>The melee on Thursday evening resulted in 26 arrests on charges including obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a weapon, according to city police. </p>
<p>Also, the department’s Hate Crime Task Force said it was investigating the assault of a Jewish man in Times Square on Thursday evening. A video posted to social media purporting to show the attack shows a group of people striking and kicking what appears to be a person down on the street.</p>
<p>Police did not provide further details and it was not immediately clear if the unidentified victim was involved in the demonstrations. </p>
<p>WABC-TV <a href="https://abc7ny.com/hate-crime-investigation-after-violent-times-sq-protests-arrests/10671569/">reported </a> that the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries and released.</p>
<p>Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday in an 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and left more than 200 people dead.</p>