Israel News Today: Flydubai Hijack Attempt Averted Over Saudi Arabia as Israeli Passengers Help Subdue Attacker

A flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai was diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after one pilot allegedly stabbed his co-pilot and attempted to seize control of the aircraft, which was carrying more than 100 Israeli passengers. Israeli officials have described the incident as a near-catastrophe, with one senior official telling the Jerusalem Post that a "major disaster was avoided." Israeli security authorities are treating the episode as a terror attack, according to Ynet and Arutz Sheva.

What Happened Aboard the Flight

According to Ynet, the aircraft plunged approximately 20,000 feet in a short period during the incident. Maariv reports the drop was around 4,000 metres. The plane transmitted a hijack distress code — known as squawk 7500 — after which contact was temporarily lost, prompting the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets, according to Maariv. The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers aboard described scenes of panic. One passenger named Miriam, quoted by Ynet, said she heard screaming and believed she "would not get out alive," recounting that she and others recited the Shema prayer. Another passenger, Noa, described the plane simply beginning to "plummet." A passenger who spoke to i24NEWS, cited by Arutz Sheva, said the cockpit was "covered in blood" and that "the Israeli guys took control of the situation."

Israeli officials and Ynet report that the suspected attacker was an Omani pilot, and that a UAE pilot, together with crew and several Israeli passengers, overpowered him. Maariv reports that one of the pilots lost consciousness during the altercation. Flydubai's CEO confirmed that a plane would be dispatched to Saudi Arabia to continue the flight to Israel, according to Arutz Sheva. El Al separately offered to send a rescue aircraft to Saudi Arabia for passengers unwilling to continue on a flydubai plane, with the Prime Minister's Office awaiting the National Security Council's response, according to Maariv. The Prime Minister's Office also stated that "all means are being activated to return the passengers to the country."

Israeli Officials: "Could Have Been Another 9/11"

A senior Israeli official quoted by Arutz Sheva stated that an additional crew of pilots happened to be aboard as part of a drill and were able to take over: "The flight was lucky they were there — otherwise we would have had a" — the statement, as published, was left incomplete by the source. The Jerusalem Post quotes an Israeli official saying a "major disaster" was avoided. Maariv quoted Israeli security establishment assessments describing the incident as comparable to a potential second September 11 attack.

Arutz Sheva reports that Israeli officials are treating the incident as a terror attack, with the co-pilot suspected of repeatedly stabbing the captain and attempting to seize control of the plane. Ynet separately reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Katz issued instructions in response to the incident, though the precise nature of those instructions was not detailed in the available sources.

The Israeli military confirmed to Maariv that the aircraft had landed in Saudi Arabia and initially said the incident did not appear to be a security event. However, Ynet subsequently reported that the prevailing assessment in Israel's security establishment was that this was indeed an act of terror. The sources differ on this point and do not fully resolve it.

Israel's Transport Ministry stated, according to Maariv, that Ben Gurion Airport was operating normally despite the incident.

IDF Chief of Staff Cancels US Visit Amid Heightened Alert

In a development with direct bearing on Israel's security posture, Ynet reports — in what it describes as a first publication — that IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi cancelled a scheduled visit to the United States, where he had been due to meet the commander of CENTCOM and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Halevi informed his American counterparts that, given elevated readiness across all fronts, it was not appropriate for him to be absent from the country. The decision, according to Ynet, was made before Netanyahu publicly warned that Israel's enemies might attempt an attack ahead of the 28 October elections.

Netanyahu Warns of Pre-Election Attack Threat; Bennett and Others Push Back

Following Netanyahu's public warning that adversaries could seek to attack Israel ahead of the upcoming elections, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded sharply, according to Maariv. Bennett questioned how the public was supposed to respond to such a warning and argued that the primary security threat Israel faces is actually a shortage of soldiers in the IDF. Opposition figure Matan Kahana, also quoted by Maariv, cast doubt on Netanyahu's statements and raised concern among parts of the public about the possibility of a postponed election. Political commentator Nir Hefetz similarly claimed, according to Maariv, that Netanyahu had succeeded in "turning the agenda in his favour" in the 24 hours following the warning, suggesting the timing served electoral purposes. The Jerusalem Post editorial board noted, separately, what it described as a "peculiar state of affairs" in which Arab nations are growing friendlier toward Israel while European relations deteriorate.

Netanyahu Briefs UAE President on Iran's Nuclear Programme

Following his visit to Abu Dhabi — reported in yesterday's coverage — the Jerusalem Post reports that Netanyahu presented UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed with information about renewed Iranian progress on its nuclear programme. According to the Jerusalem Post, the information included details about new construction work at a mountainous site approximately 140 miles south of Tehran, known as "Pickaxe Mountain." Ynet, meanwhile, reports that Washington's assessment of the likelihood of renewed conflict with Iran is growing, and that Qatar has presented a two-page compromise proposal, though the situation remains, in the words of one source cited by Ynet, "stuck."

IDF Golani Brigade: Seven Months of Operations in Southern Lebanon

The IDF published body-camera footage on Wednesday of Golani Brigade soldiers operating near the Litani River area, marking seven months of operations in southern Lebanon, according to Arutz Sheva.

Nearly All Senate Democrats Vote for Human Rights Report on West Bank

The US Senate voted 51 to 47 to block a measure that would have required the Trump administration to produce a human rights report examining violence by Israeli actors in the West Bank, according to Maariv. However, Maariv notes that almost the entire Democratic caucus supported the measure, with only Senator Fetterman voting against it among Democrats. Republican Senator Rand Paul voted in favour. Maariv describes the vote as signalling a breaking of a longstanding taboo, with Democrats increasingly willing to advance measures critical of Israel, even when they fall short of passing.

Thousands of Christians Visit West Bank Settlements After European Sanctions

Thousands of Christian visitors travelled to West Bank settlements in a show of solidarity following European sanctions and trade bans, the Jerusalem Post reports. A Norwegian Christian leader quoted by the Jerusalem Post described European laws restricting the purchase of products from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as "antisemitism, pure and simple."

Bono Compares Ben-Gvir to Heinrich Himmler

U2 frontman Bono, in an interview reported by the Jerusalem Post, compared comments made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about Gaza residents to rhetoric used by Nazi SS chief Heinrich Himmler. The Jerusalem Post reports the comparison arose during an interview conducted by journalist Brian Hiatt, in which Bono addressed Ben-Gvir's comments made in conversation with former hostage survivor Rom Braslavski. The Jerusalem Post reports the statement without editorial endorsement.

Gazan Who Called for Killing Jews Now Living in the UK

Ynet reports that a Gazan man who publicly called for the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel, and who subsequently emigrated to Britain, has distanced himself from Hamas when confronted by a local journalist. The man, whose past included calls for the annihilation of Israel and confrontations with IDF forces, claimed that the terror organisation had forced him to make those statements. Ynet reports that voices in Britain are now calling for his case to be examined.

What This Means for Diaspora Jewish Communities

The flydubai incident will resonate deeply with Jewish travellers across the diaspora. More than 100 Israeli passengers were aboard a civilian aircraft that plunged thousands of feet while, according to Israeli officials, a pilot allegedly attempted to crash it — and it was partly Israeli passengers who helped prevent what officials are calling a potential mass-casualty terror attack. For diaspora Jews who travel frequently between Europe, the Gulf, and Israel, the episode is a stark reminder that civilian aviation remains a target, and that the Abraham Accords-era flight routes through Gulf hubs carry their own specific risks.

The Senate vote in Washington, while ultimately unsuccessful, should also be noted by American Jewish communities in particular: the near-unanimous Democratic support for a measure framing Israeli West Bank activity primarily through a human rights lens represents a significant political shift, regardless of the vote's outcome. And the Bono story, while originating in the entertainment sphere, reflects a broader cultural climate in which senior Western public figures now reach for Nazi analogies when discussing Israeli ministers — a development with direct implications for Jewish community relations in the UK, Germany, and the United States.

Sources

• Jerusalem Post – Israel says pilot tried to hijack flydubai flight
• Maariv – Knife fight in cockpit and 4,000-metre dive
• Arutz Sheva – Senior official: Could have been another 9/11
• Arutz Sheva – Israel treating Flydubai incident as terror attack
• Arutz Sheva – Passenger: Attempt was made to stab pilot, Israelis overpowered stabber
• Arutz Sheva – Flydubai CEO: Plane to be sent to Saudi Arabia
• Arutz Sheva – Flydubai confirms pilots clashed aboard Tel Aviv-bound flight
• Ynet – Plane dived 20,000 feet; blood in cockpit; growing assessment this was terror
• Ynet – "They stabbed the pilot. We said Shema Israel": Moments of panic on the plane
• Ynet – Dubai plane plunged, hijack feared, landed in Saudi Arabia
• Maariv – "We saw blood, we shouted Shema Israel": Testimonies from the flydubai drama
• Maariv – Blood in cockpit: Assessment — pilot stabbed co-pilot and tried to hijack plane
• Ynet – IDF Chief of Staff cancelled US visit due to security situation
• Jerusalem Post – Iran renewing nuclear programme, Netanyahu tells UAE president
• Ynet – Trump "trapped": Qatar compromise and US assessment on Iran conflict
• Arutz Sheva – Body-cam footage: Golani fighters near Litani River
• Maariv – Most Democrats vote for anti-Israel measure; Fetterman the exception
• Maariv – Winds of sanctions in Congress: Democrats on collision course with Israel
• Jerusalem Post – Thousands of Christians visit West Bank settlements after European sanctions
• Jerusalem Post – Bono compares Ben-Gvir to Heinrich Himmler
• Ynet – Gazan who called to murder Jews and moved to Britain now disavows Hamas
• Maariv – Bennett challenges Netanyahu's attack warning
• Jerusalem Post – Israel's peculiar state of affairs: Arab nations friendlier, Europe's relations fall