Flydubai Pilot Accused of Extremist Ties, Hijacking Attempt

Good Morning, Israel · Sunday, October 4, 2026 · 7:31

Episode 7 · Sunday, October 4, 2026 · 7:31

Flydubai Pilot Accused of Extremist Ties, Hijacking Attempt

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0:007:31

1. Flydubai Pilot Accused of Extremist Ties, Hijacking Attempt
2. Flydubai Captain Recounts Terror Attack, Netanyahu Hails Him as Hero
3. IDF Acknowledges Attempted Hamas Official's Assassination, Cites Civilian Protection Efforts
4. Yair Golan's Coalition Proposal Sparks Fierce Opposition Backlash
5. Dutch School Director Refuses Israeli Student Over Gaza War Stance
6. Ben-Gvir Pursues Legal Action Against Arab Politician After Candidacy Withdrawal

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Maya

The airline that put an alleged hijacker in its cockpit never ran a background check on him.

Daniel

And the captain he attacked is now telling his own story.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Sunday, October fourth. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

We've followed the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv all week. Yesterday we learned the co-pilot had been flagged before. Today the question is sharper. How did he get hired at all?

Daniel

Right. According to the reports, Flydubai hired him without a background check. His name is Hamam al Hamami, and he's from Oman.

Maya

And his previous employer had worries about him.

Daniel

It did. Concerns that he'd been visiting extremist websites. Those concerns were there, and Flydubai still brought him on without checking.

Maya

So the warning existed. Nobody went looking for it.

Daniel

That's how it looks. And remember what he's accused of. Trying to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv, stabbing a fellow pilot, and trying to crash the plane before passengers stopped him.

Maya

The flight ended up in Saudi Arabia.

Daniel

Exactly. Diverted there, and everyone on board survived.

Maya

Now we're hearing from the captain himself.

Daniel

Captain Smit Machhar. He's Indian, and he's described being attacked by his own co-pilot in the cockpit.

Maya

The one place a pilot is supposed to be safe.

Daniel

Right. And the attack was stopped by passengers, including the Israeli Yaniv Hayun, who we heard from on Friday.

Maya

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been talking about the captain too.

Daniel

He's called him a hero. And he's gone further than words.

Maya

Further how?

Daniel

Netanyahu has invited him to light a torch at Israel's Independence Day ceremony. Along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maya

For listeners who've never seen it, what's the torch?

Daniel

It's part of Israel's national Independence Day ceremony. A small group of people are chosen to light torches, and being asked is a real honor.

Maya

An Indian captain and the Indian Prime Minister, side by side.

Daniel

Exactly. It's gratitude to one man, and it's also a gesture toward India.

Maya

But there's a second investigation, and this one looks at Israel.

Daniel

Yes. An investigation is underway into potential Israeli security lapses.

Maya

Wait, it wasn't an Israeli airline.

Daniel

No. And the reports don't spell out what exactly is being examined. But a jet bound for Tel Aviv is part of Israel's security picture, whoever's name is on the tail.

Maya

So two questions. Why did the airline hire him, and did anyone on the Israeli side miss something?

Daniel

Right. And in the middle of an election campaign, that second question won't stay quiet for long.

Maya

To Gaza now. The I D F has confirmed a strike targeting a senior Hamas official.

Daniel

His name is Ali al Amoudi. According to the I D F, he's a senior figure linked to Sinwar, and to the October seventh attack.

Maya

So not a minor name.

Daniel

Not at all. The I D F says the strike was carried out with efforts to prevent harm to civilians.

Maya

Did it get him?

Daniel

He's believed to have survived. The I D F says the results of the strike are still under review.

Maya

So he may have walked away.

Daniel

It's possible. And that's the trade-off the I D F describes. It took steps to protect civilians around the target, and that kind of care doesn't always leave a clean result.

Maya

What comes next?

Daniel

The review. Until it's done, we won't know his condition, or whether he's still a threat.

Maya

Let's turn to the election. Yair Golan has floated an idea, and the reaction has been loud.

Daniel

Golan chairs the Democrats, a party on the Israeli left. He's proposed including Ra'am, the United Arab List, in a future coalition.

Maya

That's one of the Arab parties the Supreme Court cleared to run, as we told you yesterday.

Daniel

Right. And the backlash came fast. Avigdor Liberman, who leads the right-wing party Yisrael Beytenu, and Bezalel Smotrich, from the religious right, have both ruled out working with Arab parties.

Maya

And they're not being subtle.

Daniel

No. They've warned it would mean a dangerous government.

Maya

Why should anyone outside Israel care about this?

Daniel

Because of the math we talked about on Thursday. The Knesset has a hundred and twenty seats, and you need sixty-one to govern. Every bloc is hunting for partners.

Maya

And the Arab parties are always the hardest part of that hunt.

Daniel

Exactly. Golan opened a door. Others slammed it. Whether it stays shut after the votes are counted is another story.

Maya

Staying with the ballot. Yesterday we said Sami Abu Shehadeh had withdrawn, and the court dropped its case.

Daniel

Right. But National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir doesn't want it dropped. He's pursuing a Supreme Court ruling against Abu Shehadeh anyway.

Maya

A ruling against a candidate who isn't running.

Daniel

Exactly. He wants the court to decide, not just close the file. And Abu Shehadeh's party, Balad, also called the National Democratic Alliance, says the move raises concerns about political legitimacy for Arab citizens.

Maya

Now, to the Netherlands, and a language course that turned into a loyalty test.

Daniel

An Israeli man applied to a Dutch language school. According to the reports, the director demanded he condemn the war in Gaza before he could enroll.

Maya

To learn Dutch.

Daniel

To learn Dutch. The director also wanted him to accept the director's own accusation against Israel. He refused. The director called that denial and ended the interview.

Maya

So he was turned away for being Israeli and not saying the right words.

Daniel

That's how it's being treated. The incident has sparked outrage, and it's being investigated as discrimination.

Maya

And the war he was told to condemn?

Daniel

It's the war Israel has fought against the terrorist organization Hamas since the October seventh attack. An Israeli who won't call his own country's self-defense a crime isn't in denial. He just shouldn't need anyone's approval to sign up for a class.

Maya

Quick round. A former minister is reopening an old argument.

Daniel

Haim Ramon, a former Israeli minister, is defending his role in the two thousand and five disengagement, when Israel pulled out of Gaza.

Maya

His case for it?

Daniel

He says it was essential to keep a Jewish majority. He blames former Prime Minister Ehud Barak for how the Oslo peace process was handled, and Netanyahu for strengthening Hamas after the pullout.

Maya

And his warning?

Daniel

That without separation, Israel is heading toward a bi-national state.

Maya

Finally, basketball and money. The EuroLeague, Europe's top club competition, has scrapped its luxury tax.

Daniel

And spending has shot up. Salaries and club budgets are climbing as teams try to compete with the N B A.

Maya

Who's spending the most?

Daniel

Panathinaikos, from Greece. Olympiacos and the Turkish club Fenerbahce are also investing heavily.

Maya

And the Israeli clubs?

Daniel

Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv are raising their budgets too, to stay competitive.

Maya

So the toughest defense this season might be in the accounting office.

Daniel

Exactly. And somebody's going to have to pay for all those contracts.

Maya

One thing to watch tomorrow, Monday. Fuel prices in Israel drop by fifty agorot per liter, as we told you on Friday.

Daniel

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Maya

See you tomorrow morning.