Israeli News Channel Airs Hoax Passenger from Dubai Flight

Israeli news channel Channel 12 aired an interview with an individual who falsely claimed to be a passenger on a flight from Dubai, which had experienced a disruption. The imposter, who identified himself as "Yehoshafat," was interviewed live for nearly five minutes, fabricating a story about the plane "going up and down" and claiming Israelis entered the cockpit. He also suggested hearing "Allahu Akbar" calls, but then contradicted himself by stating passengers didn't feel it was a hijacking, attributing the shouts to "many Arab passengers on the plane."

As the interview progressed, the man's story became increasingly implausible, including jokes about a specific Israeli journalist arriving to rescue them and introducing his "brother Nevo," a name he linked to Nebuchadnezzar. Despite these clear indicators of a hoax, the interviewers did not identify the deception in real-time. The imposter eventually ended the interview himself, stating it was becoming too embarrassing.

Media personality Yossi Davidov later revealed that the imposter was part of a small WhatsApp group and had contacted media outlets. Davidov claimed he had warned Channel 14's CEO about the potential for such a hoax, but the individual then contacted Channel 12's researchers, who allegedly put him on air within minutes without sufficient verification. Davidov criticized Channel 12 for falling for the prank, noting the fabricated names and outlandish claims were not enough to raise suspicion.