CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel Police are on high alert for the eight-day Hanukkah celebration, which began Sunday evening.

Police and Border Guard troops, both in uniform and undercover, have been deployed to national parks, recreation areas, malls, entertainment centers and anywhere else families will be gathering during the holiday.

Security forces will erect temporary road blocks near the entrances to cities and in other strategic locations, and troops stationed at checkpoints in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank ) are on heightened alert for potential attacks.

Before school children return to their classrooms, bomb squads will inspect buildings and school grounds to ensure that everything is safe.

"There is no other police force in the world that faces such a variety of challenges and complexities," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday evening during the candle lighting ceremony at the president's residence.

Source: YNet news