Elyakim Itali arrived at Ben Gurion Airport Wednesday evening to welcome family members returning from Japan. His eldest son and two grandchildren were supposed to land in Israel on a Flydubai flight, but within a short time he discovered that the plane carrying them was not heading for a landing in Tel Aviv at all.
The flight had been diverted to Saudi Arabia, and during the first few hours, even the family waiting in Israel did not fully understand what had happened in the air.
"I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport at about 9:15, when the flight was supposed to land at 9:24, and I received confirmation that everything was fine," Itali recalled.
Just a few minutes earlier, however, another of his sons had called him and told him about a Flydubai flight that had been diverted to Saudi Arabia. Itali gave him the flight number, and then came the alarming news.
"He said, 'Yes, your family is on that flight. They're on their way to Saudi Arabia.'"
At that stage, it was still unclear exactly what had happened aboard the plane. Itali, who had come alone to pick up his family members, waited for some time at Ben Gurion Airport. When he realized the incident was likely to continue for some time, he returned home. Only later did additional details begin to emerge, and another of his sons managed to make contact with the passengers.
"Before we spoke to them, there was fear because we didn't know what had happened," he recalled. "At first they said it was a hijacking, and then we understood that they had dropped 15,000 feet in a minute. I work in tourism and fly a lot, so I know what an air pocket is - but not dropping 15,000 feet in a minute."
According to Itali, his family members said that they heard a great deal of shouting during the incident. Later, they saw a crew member emerge from the cockpit area with blood on his shirt.
"They heard a lot of shouting, and then, at a certain point, they saw one of the crew members from the cockpit come out with blood on his shirt," he said.
The account he received from his family also included a description of three Israelis who entered the cockpit. According to Itali, his relatives could not identify who did what, but understood that one of them managed to take control of the aircraft and stabilize it.
Itali stressed that some of the details remain unclear to him and that even his relatives who were aboard the plane do not know the full picture.
The concern, as it was relayed to him by his family, was particularly grave. According to Itali, they suspected that a person armed with a knife intended to attack the other pilot as well and cause the aircraft to crash. Itali noted that 174 Israelis were aboard the plane.
For the family in Israel, the turning point came when they learned that the aircraft had landed and were able to speak with their loved ones.
"They're fine. They're being taken care of by the Saudis," Itali said.
According to him, the passengers were told that two possibilities were being considered for continuing their journey: an aircraft with a replacement crew arriving from Dubai, or a crew arriving from Israel.
"They're waiting patiently, and we managed to speak with them, so since then we've been calmer," he said.
Amid the family drama, a coincidence had separated other members of the family from those aboard the flight. Another of Itali's daughters, who was also returning from Japan with her one-year-old son, had tried to board the same flight - but there was no room.
The two instead boarded another flight from Dubai about three hours later and landed safely in Israel shortly before Itali spoke about the incident.
"We've already met them," he said.
According to Itali, his daughter and grandson had no idea in real time what was happening aboard the flight carrying their other family members.
Regarding the condition of his grandchildren who were aboard the plane, Itali knew only what his son had told him, as he had not yet spoken to them himself.
"My son said it was a little frightening at first, especially the issue of the plane's dive," he said.
Itali was particularly shaken by the description of the aircraft's loss of altitude and the effort that he said was required to bring it back under control.
"Apparently, it's not so simple to stabilize it after it drops 15,000 feet in a minute. It's not so simple to stabilize the plane and bring it back to a normal condition."
According to him, the people who entered the cockpit were dressed in civilian clothing, and the family still does not know how they managed to get inside.
For Itali, after hours of anxiety and uncertainty, what matters most is that his son, grandchildren and the other passengers are safely on the ground.
"There were a lot of miracles here, and we'll recite Birkat Hagomel," Itali concluded. "There's no doubt."