Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organisation in north London were set on fire and police said today it may be a hate crime.

“An investigation has been launched after four ambulances, which belonged to the Jewish community ambulance service, were set alight in Golders Green,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

“Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime.”

The ambulances were owned by Hatzola, a non-profit volunteer organization that serves medical emergencies.

The London Fire Brigade said it sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the scene. Calls from residents were recorded at 03:40 (GMT). Neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

“Several high-pressure cylinders in vehicles exploded and broke windows in a neighbouring apartment complex. No damage was reported.”

The London Fire Brigade said the fire was under control at 05:06 (GMT).

Attacks on Jews and Jewish targets have increased around the world since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, which advises 290.000 Jews in Britain on security issues, pointed to “obvious parallels with similar recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in Liege, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.”

Since the conflict, Britain has recorded significantly higher levels of anti-Semitic hatred.

The most serious anti-Semitic incident last year in Britain was the attack in Manchester that claimed the lives of two Jews during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.