Mob storms airport ‘hunting for Jews’

It comes as Israel intensified air strikes on Gaza overnight, including in an area close to a hospital filled with hundreds of wounded Palestinians.

The humanitarian crisis in the region worsening, although telephone and internet connections were partially restored overnight.

Follow along for live updates of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Pro-Palestine mob ‘hunting for Jews’

An angry mob took control of a large airport and surrounded a plane they believed had just arrived from Israel, searching for Jewish people.

The terrifying security breach took place at Makhachkala Airport in Russia’s Dagestan Republic on Sunday local time.

Videos posted to social media show a large group of men, many draped in or holding Palestinian flags, storming the airport after word spread that a flight from Israel had landed.

A photograph who shared one clip wrote alongside it: “The hunt for Jews at the airport in Dagestan continues, to the soundtrack of ‘Allahu Akbar’ screams.

“They even look into the plane’s engines, maybe someone is hiding there. Pogroms, a proud Russian tradition, now carried out by Muslim mobs running free with zero police presence.”

According to a report in the Moscow Times, some of the men blocked cars outside the airport and demanded identification documents from drivers and passengers, as they “searched for Israeli citizens among the motorists”.

Officials insisted security measures were working and order was eventually restored at the airport.

“The government of the Republic of Dagestan is reporting that the situation is under control, law enforcement is working at the scene,” the majority-Muslim republic’s government said in a message shared on Telegram.

Security officials shut down the airport for a period of time, AFP reported.

It appears the plane that landed had not arrived from Israel, however the rumours that circulated in town were correct – a flight from Tel Aviv was scheduled to land.

However, the flight was diverted after pilots were warned of the security breach on the ground.

The government called on the mob to “stop illegal acts” and resist the urge to respond to “provocations” resulting from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We recommend that all persons who have violated the operating procedures of the (airport) facility not to continue illegal acts and not to interfere with the work of airport employees,” a message from the government on Telegram read.

“It is not easy for each of us to stand in one place while watching the inhumane massacre of a civilian population – the Palestinian people.

“At the same time, we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society.”

The government added that “federal authorities and international organisations are taking all possible measures for a ceasefire against peaceful citizens in Gaza”.

“We call on people of the republic to treat the current situation in the world with understanding.”

Israel vows war as air strikes intensify

A defiant Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Israel is fighting “its second War of Independence” as the country kicked off its ground offensive in Gaza.

While the much-anticipated move is so far more subdued than the Israeli prime minister had been hinting at, relentless air strikes continue in the disputed territory.

Mr Netanyahu stopped short of describing the operation as an invasion, but insisted Israel would not waver.

The Israeli Defence Force confirmed 450 attacks had been carried out on Hamas targets throughout Palestine in the past 24 hours, including on the terrorist group’s headquarters and anti-tank positions.

Palestine officials say the IDF has ordered the evacuation of multiple hospitals in Gaza, with air strikes occurring close to major health facilities.

Hamas leaders killed in air strikes

Two senior Hamas leaders have been killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, including the mastermind of an attack on a music festival by a group of paragliders.

Israeli Defence Force officials reported Asem Abu Rakaba and Rateb Abu Tshaiban had been eliminated, alongside a number of other high-ranking members of the terrorist organisation.

“IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the Head of Hamas’ Aerial Array,” it said.

Abu Rakaba orchestrated the massacre on the Supernova festival in Israel on 7 October, where hundreds of people were killed when terrorists parachuted in.

Abu Tshaiban was the commander of Hamas’ naval forces and had planned an infiltration of Israel by sea – a plot that was ultimately foiled.

Originally published as Israel-Hamas conflict: Angry mob storms major airport ‘hunting for Jews’