Prominent pro-Hamas graffiti that appeared above a major road on a painful anniversary has been labelled "terrorist propaganda", as police investigate the anti-Semitic message.
"Glory to Hamas" was painted on a large billboard above a shop on the corner of Alexandra Parade and Brunswick St in Fitzroy in Melbourne's inner north.
The words "Free Palestine" and "Oct 7, do it again" also appeared on the side of a building further along Alexandra Parade on the corner of Smith St.
The graffiti was found early on Tuesday morning, the second anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, which Australia has designated as a terrorist organisation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australian Federal Police would work with Victoria Police to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"The terrorist propaganda defacing a Melbourne billboard on the anniversary of the October 7 murders is abhorrent," Mr Albanese said in a statement.
"The people responsible must face the full force of the law."
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles earlier told ABC Radio authorities would look into whether it constituted a terrorism offence while the state's force confirmed it was investigating criminal damage to the billboard.
"There is absolutely no place at all in our society for anti-Semitic or hate-based symbols and behaviour," a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
October 7 marks two years since 1200 people were killed and about 250 hostages were taken from Israel in an attack by Hamas.
In total, 198 hostages have been returned to Israel, 148 of these alive, while a further 48 remain in captivity.
The attack triggered an Israeli military campaign that has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the graffiti in Melbourne was despicable and spoke to the depth of hatred towards the Jewish Community.
"There are pockets of our society that harbour these views that support terrorism, that support the murder of the Jewish people," he told AAP.
"We shouldn't have to deal with this, this shouldn't become the norm.
"But sadly, for two years now, it has become completely normalised."
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said it was deeply disturbing and Victorians deserved to feel safe in their own community.
"Supporting (Hamas) is not free speech, it is a crime," she said.
"Those responsible must face the full force of the law."
Premier Jacinta Allan said the graffiti was hateful on any given day but particularly disgraceful when the Jewish community was mourning its biggest loss of life since the Holocaust.
"This behaviour does not represent peace," she told reporters on Tuesday.
"I condemn it in the strongest possible terms and in the strongest possible terms send my support to the Jewish community."
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick, who is Jewish, said the glorification of Hamas was sickening.
The Caulfield MP said Victoria's Jewish community felt "unwelcome and unsupported" and called for Ms Allan to lead with action rather than "symbols and words".
"The Jewish community has had a gutful of this," Mr Southwick said outside the East Melbourne Synagogue, which was subjected to an alleged arson attack in July.
"We don't want Melbourne to become Manchester. This should be a wake-up call to everybody."
Yarra City Council said it would remove the graffiti once police finished gathering evidence.
