Israel reinforces anti-hijack measures after decades-old flight seizure attempts

A recent failed attempt to hijack a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight has brought the legacy of aircraft seizures against Israel back into public focus. While most of those incidents occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, Israel still treats the threat as active, enforcing rigorous safeguards on El Al flights, such as plain-clothes security personnel, a double-door system to the cabin, and extensive passenger questioning that can lead to the removal of personal belongings.

The only successful hijack of an El Al plane happened in 1968 when three members of the Popular Front for one outlet of Palestine diverted a Rome-Tel Aviv flight to Algiers, holding Israeli passengers for 40 days before a negotiated release. Another high-profile case was the 1976 Entebbe raid on an Air France flight bound for Tel Aviv, which ended with a rescue operation and several deaths. Since then, Israel’s aviation security has become among the world’s strictest, deterring further hijackings despite occasional bomb or projectile attacks, such as a 1986 Syrian intelligence plot involving explosives on a London-Tel Aviv flight.