"We Thought These Were Our Last Moments": Mother Recalls Flydubai Terror

Lital Hirschel-Shachar, 39, was flying home from a family vacation with her four daughters when a terrorist's attempt to bring down a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned their journey home into a fight for survival. In an interview with Kol Chai yesterday (Monday), Hirschel-Shachar described the terror of the plane's sudden descent and the prayers she recited with her daughters: "There are no words to describe what we went through. It was a miracle wrapped in a miracle."

"We were sitting in the tenth row, and all the 'action' happened right next to us," she recalled. "Suddenly, a woman came out of business class hysterical, screaming in terror, yelling 'He's stabbing the pilot' and 'There's blood everywhere.' In that moment, I felt like it was a scene from a movie and I had nothing to do with it. Your mind simply refuses to process it."

According to Hirschel-Shachar, Israeli passengers rushed to confront the attacker and subdue him, with several sustaining injuries during the struggle. Back in their seats, passengers were left in complete uncertainty.

"We immediately understood that there was a terrorist on the flight. A million scenarios run through your head. You don't know if he's acting alone, if he has accomplices, or where the next attack is coming from," she said.

When the plane began to descend sharply, Hirschel-Shachar feared they would not survive. Despite the terror, she tried to remain calm and turn to prayer.

"We were all sure these were our last moments. The plane simply dropped. My biggest fear wasn't for myself, but for my daughters. I kept my cool, I didn't cry and I didn't scream. Together we said Shir Lamaalot, Mizmor L'Todah, and every chapter of Tehillim we knew by heart. I told them, 'Girls, only Hashem can save us.'"

Even after it became clear that the plane would be diverted for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, the fear continued. According to Hirschel-Shachar, passengers were instructed to brace for a potentially rough landing.

"From the window, we saw nothing but desert and sand. The Israelis prepared us for a rough landing and told us to put our heads between our knees and protect our heads with our hands. My little one, five and a half years old, grabbed my hand out of sheer fear."

By the mercy of Heaven, the plane ultimately landed safely at an airport in Saudi Arabia.

"It was a completely smooth landing, despite all the technical damage to the plane. It was simply divine."

"You realize that there is nothing besides Him," Hirschel-Shachar concluded. "My daughters experienced firsthand what faith and trust really mean. A miracle of this magnitude, that the entire world is talking about, with even the non-Jews saying 'it's a miracle,' felt almost like Kriat Yam Suf, the splitting of the sea."