Mother Who Lost Son on Oct. 7 Survives Daughter's Near-Death Hijacking
An Israeli mother experienced a double tragedy when her son was killed on Oct. 7 and her daughter narrowly escaped death on a hijacked flight weeks later.
An Israeli mother who lost her son in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack experienced a harrowing ordeal when her daughter narrowly escaped a hijacking attempt on a flydubai flight on September 30.
Miryam Ochayon, 24, was traveling back to Israel to attend the memorial for her brother, Eviatar, who was killed in the Oct. 7 massacre. She was aboard flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the plane's Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft. The plane reportedly plunged 18,000 feet, prompting panic among the 182 passengers, many of whom were Israeli.
Miryam described the event as "30 seconds away from crashing" and recounted her fear, saying, "I knew I had to stay alive for my mother." She held the hands of young children in her row, trying to comfort them and herself. "It's half shock, half joy," her mother, Yasmin Ochayon, told The Post.
The incident occurred just weeks before the third anniversary of Eviatar Ochayon Abukasis's death. Eviatar, an ambulance driver and artist, was killed at the Kissufim military outpost on Oct. 7, 2023, when a Hamas terrorist threw an explosive into a shelter. It was reportedly his last day of active duty.
During the flight, Miryam prayed to her brother, Eviatar, stating, "I'm going to go home and see my mom. If she lost me, she couldn't go on." After the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Miryam called her mother to inform her of the near-disaster.
Yasmin, who was already at Ben Gurion Airport awaiting her daughter's arrival, expressed her shock. "To lose a son is crazy, but to happen to her too… I couldn’t even imagine that," she said. "I thought, 'Eviatar watched over us.'"
At Eviatar's memorial service at Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, Miryam spoke of her survival. "I know Eviatar played an incredible part in this," she said. "I'm standing here, looking at your grave… and not looking at you from above."
Reflecting on the dual experiences, Yasmin stated, "God took my son, but he gave me back my daughter. He took life and gave life. We feel the miracle."