From Israel: Incredible? Believe It!!

Arlene Kushner | October 4, 2026

Image via AI.

It was Wednesday morning and a Flydubai plane was on its way from Dubai, UAE, to Tel Aviv, Israel. Reportedly, there were 174 persons on board, the vast majority of whom were Israelis. The door to the cockpit of the plane was locked from inside. This is a routine safety measure to prevent potential hijackers from reaching the pilot.

But what happens when the hijacker is one of the pilots, locked inside the cockpit with his fellow pilot, as was the case last Wednesday?

Inside that cockpit were the pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar (pictured), an Indian national, and co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national.

Passengers sitting forward near the cockpit heard shouting, which may be why early reports indicated there was a “ruckus” between the two pilots. (Although some of those reports of a “ruckus” were, it seems clear, intended to downplay the severity of what has happening.) At least one passenger also reported hearing a shout of “Allahu Akbar” – a cry heard when a terror attack is about to take place.

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Inside the cockpit, al-Hammami first prayed, according to a report later provided by Machchahar, and then turned on him, attacking him with an axe kept in the cockpit for emergencies and a knife. Very serious questions remain at this point as to how al-Hammami managed to smuggle in that knife.

The captain was seriously wounded and no longer in control of the plane, which rapidly began losing altitude.

In the plane, Israelis, aware that something dire was taking place, understood the need to act with all possible speed and force.

Yaniv Hayoun (pictured) rushed to the cockpit and, with the assistance of two other Israelis – Tzvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan, attempted unsuccessfully to push in the door.

Yaniv Hayou.  Screengrab via Youtube.

Captain Machchahar, suffering serious wounds, drew on the last of his energy before collapsing to open the lock on the cockpit door, allowing the Israelis to rush in. He later expressed his determination to prevent the hijacking from succeeding. “I was not going to let others die,” he declared.

Charging into the cockpit, Hayoun quickly pulled back on the controls, thereby halting the plane’s downward nosedive and stabilizing its altitude. There is no indication that he had any flying experience. He later told Netanyahu that he knew what to do because of movies he had seen.

Hayoun then grabbed al-Hammami in a chokehold and the two other Israelis accompanying Hayoun assisted in subduing the terrorist. Manes is particularly mentioned for his help in tying him up with cable wire in the cockpit. An Israeli dentist on the flight – Dr. Shota Musayev – rushed in to provide emergency medical assistance to Machchahar.

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Two other Flydubai pilots were on the flight. They were present because the airline anticipated that the plane would continue on a further assignment after bringing its passengers to Tel Aviv, which would necessitate relief pilots taking over. These pilots entered the cockpit and safely landed the plane in Tabuk Airport in northwest Saudi Arabia. They were able to fly the plane successfully in spite of the fact that a large part of the rudder had broken off during its nosedive at enormous speed.

This was a Boeing aircraft. President Trump, in a media post, congratulated Boeing for the strength of its plane, which was able to withstand G-forces and strain far beyond what it was designed for.

And what do we see with all of this, my friends?

It is, without exaggeration, a miracle.

Or, we might say, rather than one miracle a number of small miracles that came together at the right moment:

Israelis on the plane responded with astounding speed and bravery. One of them, without piloting experience, was able to pull the plane out of a nosedive. Captain Macchahar, covered in blood, was able to sustain consciousness long enough to open the latch on the cockpit door before collapsing. Three Israelis, working together, were able to subdue and restrain the terrorist. A medical person was present to give the captain preliminary treatment. There were two relief pilots on board who were able to bring the plane safely down in Saudi Arabia.

And lastly, but hardly least, the plane held up after its nosedive, so that it could be piloted to safety. Consider this:

This Boeing plane reached an estimate speed in its nosedive of Mach 0.96 with Mach 1.0 the speed of sound. Commercial aircraft never exceed Mach 0.82 (the “high altitude never exceed speed”). And yet, while damaged, the plane remained sufficiently intact to allow a subsequent flight to Saudi Arabia.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-910466

And so we thank the Almighty, for this is all incredible.

And praise for the Israelis who were involved. Here we were able to see our people at our very best, even as some in the world will never acknowledge this. (Almost immediately social media messages emerged that charged Israel with making up the entire story.) Israelis know that in times of danger quick action and much boldness are called for.

Stand proud and strong, Israel!

I have not been able to determine if Yaniv Hayound, Tzvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan had IDF training and experience going back some years. Hyoun is identified as a plumber. Rajoun owns an insurance agency in Israel and was flying back from a vacation in Thailand. Tzvika Manes is CEO of Barak Capital.

I would say that the odds are considerable that they did have IDF experience. Service in the IDF – which sometimes requires split second action and a speedy grasp of what it will be necessary to contend with – molds us into a strong and determined people.

Indeed we are a strong and determined people. Let our enemies take note.

In light of the above, there is one more important point to be made:
Yesterday (Shabbat) was Simchat Torah, the holiday on which, three years ago, the October 7 massacre took place. As we approached the holiday, we struggled with concern about our ability to mourn the memory and rejoice in the holiday at the same time.

The memories of pain are still there and will not go away. But this year we came into the holiday with a sense of jubilation because of how Israelis contended with a terrorist threat meant to cause death and destruction. It is reported that the terrorist had planned to crash the plane inside of Israel, with intention of killing considerably more than the 170 on the plane.

And this, too, will now stay with us.

Where are we at present?

Captain Machchahar received preliminary stabilizing treatment in Saudi Arabia and was then transferred to the UAE for medical care (I believe including surgery) and recovery.

The Saudis were, according to all reports, gracious to the badly shaken passengers of the flight on a humanitarian level – providing food, medication and other assistance. There is something comforting about this.

The political level, however, remains complex and problematic. We should not be surprised. Israel sought to send a plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home the Israelis stranded there, but the Saudis would not permit it. Ultimately, although at present we are not allowing Dubai flights into Israel, a Flydubai plane was permitted to bring the stranded passengers home.

There are a host of complicated questions yet to be dealt with regarding, for example, how Flydubai permitted an Omani national to pilot a plane headed for Tel Aviv when there were agreements that this would not be permitted.

As investigations are still ongoing, I prefer to return to these questions in a couple of days and put this out now.

Please, pray for Israel.

©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.