A flight operated by Israeli airline El Al bound for Georgia had to return and land after a passenger, claiming to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder due to time in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, attacked cabin crew.
El Al issued a statement regarding the flight which departed from Tel Aviv and was heading to Tbilisi, stating that “there was an unusual incident of a passenger who behaved violently towards El Al staff.”
The aircraft returned to Tel Aviv “in order to drop off the passenger in coordination with the Israel Police.”
A female passenger aboard the flight informed Channel 12 that the incident began approximately an hour after takeoff when the man brought out medical cannabis from his bag and began shouting.
“He hit the flight attendant and screamed all through the plane and collapsed. It was right next to me.”
The passenger shouted:
I was in Gaza, and I have PTSD. I saw bodies flying through the air.
According to the Times of Israel, the woman said that others on board attempted to calm him and managed to separate him from the cabin crew member he had assaulted.
During the flight back to Israel, the cabin crew contacted the police and the passenger was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Channel 12 reported that the flight attendant also received medical attention.
Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Palestinian enclave since 7 October, killing over 34,600 Palestinians and injuring more than 77,800, the vast majority children and women.
Vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, with 85 per cent of the enclave’s population internally displaced amid a crippling blockade which has led to a “man-made famine”.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which, in January, issued an interim ruling that ordered it to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
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