United grounds pilot who praised October 7 massacre after reports of reinstatement - report

United Airlines has once again removed Capt. Ibrahim R. Mossallam from service following earlier social media posts expressing support for Hamas's October 7 massacre, The Daily Wire reported Wednesday.

An airline spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Wire on Tuesday that "the pilot" has been "withheld from service pending an ongoing review."

Mossallam was initially suspended with pay in November 2023. However, an Israeli media report published Monday revealed that the airline had quietly allowed him to return to his duties just six months later.

According to The Daily Wire, United Airlines did not confirm whether Mossallam had resumed flying after the company launched its initial investigation in late 2023.

Israeli media reports also claimed that senior United Airlines executives had wanted to fire Mossallam at the time, but the pilots' union intervened to prevent his dismissal, and he subsequently returned to flying.

In his original posts from 2023, Mossallam praised Hamas's October 7 attacks, describing the terrorist group's actions as "brave" and "not unprovoked," and claimed that "the mass media is manipulated in a political and biased way to show a non-conquering narrative of Palestine."

At the time, the airline said in a statement, "As of these moments, the pilot has been removed from service with continued payment of his salary," adding, "We are looking into the matter and his continued work at the company."

United pilots reportedly express concerns over Mossallam

The controversy has resurfaced following the September 30 flydubai hijacking.

Recent reports suggest that Mossallam has lost the trust of some of his fellow pilots, Simple Flying reported Wednesday.

According to the report, two pilots traveling as passengers on a United Airlines flight operated by Mossallam gave up their first-class seats to sit in the cockpit jump seats instead. The pilots were reportedly deadheading, meaning they were traveling to another location for a work assignment.

Other United Airlines employees have also expressed concerns about Mossallam and called for his dismissal, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

A United flight attendant told Israeli media that employees reported Mossallam in 2023, which led to his initial suspension, but he was later allowed to return to work.

"Now, because of the flydubai incident, we reported him again. We want him fired," the flight attendant said.

"The employees don't want him to ever come back here," the flight attendant added.

Other media reports allege that United pilots recently filed additional complaints against Mosselaim, citing concerns about his reliability based on views he has continued to express publicly on social media.

United Airlines resumes flights to Israel

United Airlines resumed flights to Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on September 9 after suspending service in February ahead of Operation Roaring Lion.

The airline also announced plans to resume direct flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in October.

Additionally, United is scheduled to resume flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in March 2027, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.

James Genn and The Jerusalem Post contributed to this report.