First Rescue Flights from Dubai Land in Israel Amid Flydubai Suspension

An Arkia plane landed shortly after 1:20 AM, followed approximately two hours later by an Israir flight. The Israir flight carried about 180 Israelis, and the airline plans to operate additional flights from Dubai in the coming days. The resumption of flights was facilitated after a dispute over the UAE's demand to transport passenger luggage on separate cargo planes was resolved. Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently instructed the Ministry of Defense to deploy civilian cargo planes to retrieve the luggage from Dubai. Flydubai suspended its flights to Israel concurrently with the passenger repatriation efforts, and the airline announced its flights to Israel will remain suspended indefinitely. In contrast, Etihad Airways announced it would increase flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. The UAE has officially termed the incident a "terrorist act." Amid the ongoing dispute over resuming flights, a source close to the UAE government claimed Israel is deliberately delaying Flydubai's return to service for political reasons, stating the Emirates are prepared to enhance security protocols and conduct additional checks on aircrews. Meanwhile, the co-pilot suspected of attacking the captain has been identified as 29-year-old Omani citizen Al-Hamami. According to an ABC report, he is cooperating with investigators and stated his intention was to crash the plane in Israel.