India, Oct. 9 -- Religious hate crimes in England and Wales have risen sharply over the past two years, reflecting rise in community tensions since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023.

According to Home Office data released on Thursday, police recorded over 10,000 additional hate crime offences since the end of March this year. While that figure represents a slight drop from 2024, it is still nearly 20 percent higher than the numbers reported in March 2023.

Officials cautioned, however, that the data may not be directly comparable due to changes in the Metropolitan Police's reporting systems, the force that handles the majority of hate crime cases in the country.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), combined data fro...