A violent mob seeking to 'hunt Jews' forces the closure of Dagestan airport
Russian police have taken control of the airport in the Dagestan region after a mob stormed the airfield with the aim of 'hunting Jews'. The crowd, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting 'Allah is great', even reached the runway after learning that a plane had arrived from Tel Aviv.
The pogrom resulted in 9 police officers injured, 160 identified and 60 arrested, according to Russian media, which described the incident as a "protest".
The regional authorities have condemned what happened. As governor Sergey Melikov wrote in his Telegram, these actions are "a violation of the law". "What happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive a proper assessment by law enforcement," he added.
However, several witnesses have pointed out that the police forces did nothing to stop the mob. Kiev Rabbi Moshe Azman also condemned the fact that the police did "nothing" to hold back the anti-Semitic crowd.
Local authorities have also accused "enemies of the country" of organising the riots. According to Melikov, these "attempts to destabilise the situation in the Dagestan region of southern Russia are being orchestrated from abroad, including by pro-Ukrainian channels".
In addition to the incidents at the airport, hours earlier hundreds of people gathered outside a hotel in the town of Khasaviurt - near the border with Chechnya - after a rumour spread that several Israelis who fled the war were staying in the building. Several even broke into the hotel, knocking door to door to find the alleged Israeli citizens.
These riots with anti-Semitic overtones follow several other anti-Israeli incidents in recent days in the Russian North Caucasus region in response to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Israel declared war on the terrorist group on 7 October, following massacres by the organisation's fighters in the south of the country that have left 1,500 people dead. After weeks of air strikes on the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have begun their ground offensive.
Israeli tanks arrive at the gates of Gaza City
This ground operation is expanding with the entry of more troops, according to Israeli military officials, who also claim to have launched attacks on some 600 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including weapons stores and hideouts. They have also managed to eliminate several Hamas commanders.
Israeli troops have also been located near Gaza City. Palestinians told AFP that they saw Israeli tanks in the Zaytun district on the outskirts of the town. "They have cut off the Salahedin road and are shooting at any vehicle that tries to pass through it," said a Gazan.
Since the war against Hamas began, Israel has urged citizens of the Palestinian enclave to evacuate southwards as the north has been the scene of fighting. However, since the beginning of the conflict, thousands of Gazan civilians have been killed by Israeli shelling while the IDF accuses Hamas of using them as human shields. According to Gaza's health authorities - controlled by the terrorist group - more than 8,000 people have reportedly died since the start of hostilities.
The war has deepened Gaza's humanitarian crisis, leaving civilians as the main victims as Hamas continues to launch rockets into Israeli territory and hide in the enclave's deep tunnels, where more than 200 hostages kidnapped by the terrorists on 7 October are also believed to be held. "We are doing everything we can to bring the hostages home. It is the top priority," said IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
For the time being, Israeli forces have located in Gaza the remains of young Israeli-German woman Shani Louk, who was believed to have been kidnapped after the Hamas attack on the music festival on the Gaza border. As reported by her family, the army did not find her body, but part of a skull bone was located and submitted for DNA testing.
Family members believe that Shani died on 7 October, after seeing videos showing her half-naked lying face down, apparently unconscious, in the back of a van in Gaza filled with gunmen spitting on and beating her body.
In addition to the situation in Gaza, the IDF has targeted military positions in Syria and Lebanon in response to attacks. There have also been raids in the West Bank and intercepted attacks on the Red Sea launched from Yemen by pro-Iranian Houthi militias.
UN warns that 'civil order is beginning to break down' in Gaza
In an effort to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation for Gazans, 33 more aid trucks have entered the enclave through the Egyptian border, the UN announced, bringing the total number of vehicles that have entered Gaza with humanitarian assistance to 117.
The UN has also warned that "civil order is beginning to break down" in Gaza, reporting that thousands of desperate Palestinians are looting basic items such as flour and hygiene supplies from aid centres.
Another issue of concern in Gaza is the situation in hospitals after the IDF announced that Hamas' main base of operations is under the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The military authorities provided intercepted images and audio as evidence of the terrorist organisation's activities. They have also indicated that Hamas uses other hospitals for similar purposes. Terrorists have been accused of hiding or storing weapons and ammunition in health centres, as well as in schools and religious temples.
Since the beginning of the war, Hamas air strikes against southern and central Israel have continued unabated. This is in addition to the rockets launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon against northern Israel. This situation has led to the evacuation of more than 200,000 Israelis in the country.