The Toronto police have said the number of antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in Canada’s largest city has risen significantly during the fighting in Gaza, Reuters reports.

Toronto has seen 69 arrests and 173 charges related to hate crimes during this period, police Chief Myron Demkiw said in a statement. Since October 2023, Toronto has witnessed 203 confirmed hate crimes, a 93 per cent rise from a year ago, the statement added.

Demkiw said hate crime calls dropped in December and January, but then picked up in February, rising 67pc. Of the 84 hate crimes so far in 2024, 56pc are antisemitic, Demkiw said.

“While underreporting of all forms of hate crimes is a concern, I know from talking to people in the community that Islamophobia is a significant concern, and given our statistics I am concerned about significant under-reporting in this regard,” Demkiw told reporters.