Over 1,200 Foreign Airline Crew Entered Israel From Non-Diplomatic Countries

The figures emerged during an investigation by the committee's Intelligence Subcommittee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth, into a recent attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight. The suspect, an Omani co-pilot named Homam Al-Hammami, allegedly confessed during an interrogation in the UAE that he planned to crash the plane in Israel as revenge for actions in the Gaza Strip. Shin Bet agents traveled to the UAE to participate in the investigation, which also revealed that Omani authorities had previously identified extremist leanings in the pilot but did not share their concerns.

The revelations exposed significant security and intelligence failures. The Security Wing of the Ministry of Transportation admitted it does not receive the names of pilots for security checks, relying instead on airline declarations. While Minister of Transportation Miri Regev stated that security agencies are responsible for screening aircrew, a security document showed her ministry is legally responsible for setting these protocols. A representative from the ministry expressed surprise at the data during the meeting.

In response to the incident, MK Bismuth announced that Israeli civil aviation and security supervision procedures will undergo significant changes. A joint delegation from the Ministry of Transportation and security officials is scheduled to travel to Dubai next week to establish a permanent aviation arrangement. Meanwhile, Flydubai is considering extending its suspension of flights to Israel, currently set to end on October 15, by at least another week.