Israeli passengers helped take flydubai cockpit after onboard stabbing

Israeli passengers aboard a flydubai flight entered the cockpit and helped regain control after a stabbing on board, according to a passenger who spoke to The Times of Israel and to posts published by Israel's Foreign Ministry. The passenger, Lital Shahar, said off-duty pilots who happened to be travelling on the aircraft were then able to bring it down in Saudi Arabia, at Tabuk airport.

The Times of Israel reported that Shahar, who was travelling with her four daughters, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, on what the paper described as a flydubai rescue flight. The Foreign Ministry, posting on X, named one of the Israelis involved as Asaf Rejwan and said he was among those who helped take control of the cockpit.

What the passenger described

Shahar, from Givat Shmuel, told the paper that her family was seated near the front of the cabin, in row 10, close enough to hear people shouting that someone had been stabbed. She said the experience left her feeling ill and that she could not find words for it, adding that the fear was sharpened by having her daughters beside her.

She described two events she regarded as miracles. The first was that Israeli passengers went into the cockpit. The second was that off-duty pilots were on board and could land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The Times of Israel, whose headline referred to the aircraft as a hijacked plane, reported that she also thanked the people who received the passengers at Tabuk airport after the emergency landing.

What the Foreign Ministry said

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which runs the country's diplomatic service and its official English-language social media accounts, published two posts on the episode. In the first, it attributed the safe outcome to the "extraordinary courage" of Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew, and said the flight had landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport. That post carried video credited to another X user.

In the second, the ministry said Asaf Rejwan stepped in after the pilot stabbed his colleague, and that he was now grateful to be home. The ministry did not give further detail about what Rejwan did in the cockpit or about the condition of anyone involved.

Where the accounts differ

The reports do not line up on two points. First, on where the aircraft landed: the ministry's first post says the flight landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport, while The Times of Israel, citing Shahar, says the plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, and that passengers later reached Tel Aviv on a separate rescue flight. The ministry's wording may refer to the passengers' eventual arrival, but the post does not say so, and this report does not assume it.

Second, on who carried out the attack: the ministry states that the pilot stabbed his colleague. Shahar's account, as reported, refers to people screaming about a stabbing but does not identify the attacker. The Times of Israel headline describes the aircraft as hijacked; the ministry's posts do not use that word.

Background for readers

Flydubai is a low-cost airline based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which is why the ministry refers to an Emirati crew. Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, is Israel's main international gateway. Tabuk is a city in Saudi Arabia. Givat Shmuel, Shahar's hometown, is a small city in central Israel. The event described here is the passengers' part in bringing the aircraft under control; the underlying incident on board is known so far only through these accounts.

What the reports do not say

None of the material gives the flight number, its origin or its intended destination, or the time the incident began. The reports do not say how many passengers were on board, how many were Israeli, or how many people took part in entering the cockpit beyond the naming of Asaf Rejwan. They do not say whether anyone was injured or killed, including the colleague the ministry says was stabbed, or what happened to the attacker afterwards. There is no statement in this material from flydubai, from Emirati or Saudi authorities, or from any investigating body, and no motive has been reported. The identities and number of the off-duty pilots who landed the aircraft are also not given.