Harvard is temporarily closing off its historic center to visitors at night, as backlash continues to roil against students blaming Israel for Hamas' attacks

• Harvard told students in an email that its historic center would be closed to non-ID holders nightly until Monday, the Harvard Crimson reported.
• Harvard Yard is the oldest part of the university campus and is where most freshman dormitories are housed.
• The move comes amid an escalating backlash against student groups that cosigned a letter blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks.

Harvard is closing off its historic center, Harvard Yard, to visitors at night until Monday, amid an escalating backlash against students who cosigned a letter blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks, the Harvard Crimson reported Thursday, citing an email sent to students. 

The college told undergraduate students in a Wednesday email that Harvard Yard would be closing its gates to non-ID holders between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., the Harvard Crimson reported.

Harvard Yard is a 25-acre green space that is the oldest part of the university campus and is where most freshman dormitories are housed.

The email added that the college was doing so "out of an abundance of caution," per the Harvard Crimson. The email also stated — citing reports from the Harvard University Police Department — that "there is no credible threat to anyone in the campus community, but those with immediate safety concerns should contact HUPD." 

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, sent outside regular business hours. 

Meredith Weenick, the university's executive vice president, said in a statement on Wednesday the university does not "condone or ignore threats or acts of harassment or violence." Weenick added that school officials have been in touch with students to offer support.

The letter at the heart of the controversy was cosigned by over 30 Harvard student groups and laid blame on Israel for the Hamas attacks. "The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years," the since-deleted letter read.

It drew condemnation from a range of figures, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and former Harvard president Larry Summers.

On Wednesday, a truck was sighted on campus, displaying the names and faces of students it said were associated with the groups who signed the letter and labeling them as "Harvard's leading antisemites." It is unclear how long the truck was driving through the campus. 

It is also unclear if the college's move to step up security is related to the incident. 

The truck's doxing effort has been criticized by Harvard professors Jason Furman and Boaz Barak, as well as the Harvard Hillel, the university's Jewish center.