Panic erupted at a pro-Israel vigil held on the University of Florida campus Monday night, causing a stampede that injured at least five attendees.

One attendee fainted at 8:55 p.m., leading to a call from bystanders for someone to call 911. That request sparked confusion in the rest of the crowd, which proceeded to disperse in a panicked stampede, the University of Florida Police Department posted on X.

At least five people were treated for minor injuries on-site by local fire department personnel and the university’s emergency medical unit, which was already pre-staged at the vigil, police said.

Ultimately, more than 30 university students ended up at a local hospital, according to The Gainesville Sun. Unnamed witnesses told the Sun that injuries ranged from concussions to gashes to, in at least one case, a broken leg.

“We have no reason to believe that there was malicious intent behind this incident. It was an accident that was misinterpreted by the crowd that led to panic,” UFPD Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick said in a statement on the X post.

The candlelight vigil was being held to mourn the victims of Hamas’ attacks on Israel over the weekend and into the week, as well as to express general solidarity with the Israelis.

The event was put on in part by Jewish groups on campus, including the U.F. chapters of nationwide organizations Chabad and Hillel. University President and former Sen. Ben Sasse was also in attendance and spoke before the event. Mr. Sasse, a Republican, had represented Nebraska during his time in the Senate before joining the University of Florida.

Jewish leaders on campus connected the panic to the possibility of antisemitic attacks on overtly Jewish events. U.F. has the largest Jewish population of any public university in the U.S. with almost 6,500 students, according to WUFT-TV.

“People came to the event on edge to begin with because there is a fear for going to any Jewish event that something could happen,” Chabad U.F. Jewish Student Center Co-Director Chanie Goldman told The Sun.

Rabbi Berl Goldman of Chabad U.F. and Rabbi Jonah Zinn of U.F. Hillel said in a joint statement on Instagram that Monday’s event was “a moving and beautiful evening” and that they feel certain the panic was “rooted in misunderstanding.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.