Israelis were buoyed on Thursday by the brave actions of several Israeli passengers who, along with crew members, averted a midair disaster aboard a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv the day before.
Hebrew newspaper headlines dwelled more on the heroism of the passengers and crew than on the moments of terror after the plane’s co-pilot attacked the pilot in the cockpit, causing the aircraft to plummet nearly 17,000 feet.
Several passengers sprang forward and overpowered the co-pilot, who appeared to be trying to crash the plane, according to witnesses and officials.
“Heroes in the Sky,” read the headlines in two large-circulation morning papers. “Miracle on Flight 1073,” read another.
The dramatic events evoked for some Israelis the days in the 1960s and 1970s when Israel was widely considered to be a small, plucky country that had survived against the odds and took on hijackers.
The Israeli commando raid in 1976 that rescued more than 100 hostages from Entebbe, Uganda, became legendary and spawned several movies. Their Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris had been hijacked by Palestinian militants aided by German extremists.
Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, the older brother of Israel’s current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, led the commandos and was the only Israeli soldier killed in the raid.
Four years earlier, Benjamin Netanyahu, then a young commando himself, took part in a raid that freed hostages held by Palestinian hijackers on a Sabena jet as it sat on the tarmac near Tel Aviv.
But on Wednesday, in the skies above Saudi Arabia between Dubai and Tel Aviv, the saviors were ordinary citizens and crew members, including the injured pilot.
The Israeli passengers who rushed to the cockpit included a man Mr. Netanyahu said was a plumber who led the rescue and a dentist who treated the pilot and helped restrain the assailant.
After the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, civilians stepped up, for example by delivering military equipment and water.
That attack ignited a devastating war in Gaza. Israel’s actions there have drawn international criticism and accusations of war crimes, leaving the country increasingly isolated.
But after the FlyDubai episode, Israeli social media was flooded with memes offering advice to air travelers: In case of emergency, locate the nearest Israeli.
Yair Golan, the leader of Israel’s left-leaning Democrats party and a former deputy military chief, said in a social media post that he was “filled with pride” as details emerged about “the brave Israelis who, in a moment of danger, displayed ingenuity and exceptional courage.”
Mr. Netanyahu told Fox News on Wednesday, after the passengers had returned safely to Tel Aviv, that if you are hijacked, “make sure you have an Israeli sitting next to you.”
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