Twenty minutes into a flight from Vienna to Tel Aviv, on the eve of 8 May 1972, four members of Black September, including two women, took Sebena Flight 571 hostage to demand the release of 315 Palestinian prisoners.Black September was a Palestinian terrorist organisation that broke away from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. They took their name from the Jordanian Civil War of the same name, which saw the PLO attempt to overthrow King Hussein resulting in a Palestinian exile from Jordan to Lebanon. They are most well-known for massacring the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in the same year.The flight was captained by Captain Reginald Levy, a British Jew. He had received the Flying Cross for his service to the Royal Air Force. The hijacking coincided with Levy’s 50th birthday. As a treat, he had booked his wife a ticket on the flight to surprise her with a nice dinner in Tel Aviv. He kept his wife’s presence a secret from his captors as they instructed him to land at Lod Airport (today Ben Gurion International). During the flight, Levy continued to be a calming presence for the passengers and he attempted to steal one of the terrorist’s guns. When they found out he was not only a Jew but a British Jew the terrorists blamed him specifically for Israel's creation. By the time the plane landed, the IDF had already been made aware of the hijacking thanks to a distress signal sent by Levy. Negotiations began as soon as the wheels had touched the ground between the hijackers and Minister of Defence, Moshe Dayan – who had greenlit an assault on the aircraft by Sayeret Matkal – an elite division of the IDF. The negotiations were overseen by future Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Arial Sharon.The hijackers used Levy as their negotiator with Dayan. Levy understood the severity of the situation and knew they would blow up the aircraft if given the opportunity. The hijackers wanted the plane refuelled so they could escape after their demands were met – a plan was made on how Sayeret Matkal could get on the plane. Operation Isotype was a go.Dressed as mechanics, future Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was the commander of the unit, prepared his team to “fix” the plane. As each soldier got in position as if they were inspecting the plane, they barged into the aircraft from 5 entrances overwhelming the terrorists. The male terrorists were shot dead.Future Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, went after Theresa Halsa. Halsa was an Israeli-born Arab Christian who had been radicalised to join Black September and received training in Lebanon. She was only 18 at the time of the hijacking. During the struggle between Netanyahu and Halsa, a misfire by an IDF soldier caused a bullet to go through Halasa and lodge in the chest of Netanyahu. Netanyahu was reassured by his brother Yoni, who had not taken part in the operation, as he lay on the runway after the fight. Yoni died four years later during Operation Thunderbolt in Entebbe, Uganda rescuing the passengers of Air France 139. Netanyahu was the only IDF soldier injured in the operation. A pregnant passenger was injured and later died of her wounds in hospital. The two women were sentenced to life in prison for their actions. Halsa was released in a prisoner exchange during the First Lebanon War. She spent the rest of her life in Jordan until she died in 2020. Her only regret from the incident was that she never blew the plane up. The Lod Airport would not see the end of bloodshed. Just a few weeks after the incident, the Japanese Red Army attacked killing 26 people.Captain Levy was recognised as a hero for the role he played during the ordeal. His family was moved by Sebena to Johannesburg, South Africa for protection after the incident. Here his daughter, Linda, met her future husband Stanley Lipschitz. The couple later made Aliyah where they had two children and five grandchildren. Linda went on to help establish the The Jerusalem Report.What is terrifying about this story is how much it foreshadows future events. From weeks before the Lod Massacre and a few months before the same terror group massacred Israeli athletes in Munich. Or simply the presence of four future Prime Ministers during one operation. And yet, the most pressing is the circumstances that foreshadowed Yonatan Netanyahu’s death four years later. History rhymes in the most unfortunate ways.