A United Airlines pilot has been ‘removed for pay’ after posting dozens of messages on Facebook expressing support for Hamas in the wake of the terror group’s barbaric attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people on October 7 came.
United pilot Ibrahim R. Mossallam described the attack on civilians in southern Israel as “resistance by brave people who have endured decades of occupation, oppression, humiliation, apartheid and outright murder.”
“For all my friends here in FB land with questions/thoughts/assumptions/criticisms about what is currently happening in Palestine in response to the Zionist occupation: please work on increasing your media literacy,” he added.
Mossallam said the US media is “heavily politicized and focused on presenting a non-occupation narrative about Palestine.”
The disgraced pilot also argued that the attack on Israel was “unprovoked” but rather was a “response to years of attacks by the Zionist regime.”
On Tuesday, United told DailyMail.com that Mossallam had been removed from service on pay as an investigation was conducted. The carrier said Mossallam was not removed from service until November 20, the same day his social media posts became public.
United pilot Ibrahim R. Mossallam reportedly dismissed from service after his pro-Palestinian social media was made public
On the day Hamas launched its barbaric attack on Israel, Mossallam posted this message on Facebook
In addition to his flying career, Mossallam is also vice president of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Israel Relations.
DailyMail.com has also contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and CAIR for comment on this story.
Mossallam’s messages were first brought to attention by the action group Stop Antisemitism.
The group asked in a post on
That sentiment was echoed by many commentators. One wrote: ‘I will never get on a United flight again until this pilot is fired! I don’t feel safe flying with you anymore.
“We expect this man to be fired as soon as possible, putting your passengers at risk on every flight,” another wrote.
Another said: ‘This pilot should be grounded. I am a frequent flyer with you and this pilot makes me feel very unsafe.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to United Airlines for comment on this story
The group also cached photos on Mossallam’s Facebook page. At the time of writing, many of these posts have been deleted. His profile largely contains his comments in the aftermath of October 7.
On November 20, he wrote in a post: “Continue to be the voice of real victims: the occupier, not the evil occupier.”
Mossallam’s profile also includes three photos of the silhouette lights projected from the site where Manhattan’s Twin Towers once stood. This practice takes place annually around the anniversary of 9/11.
Since November 2012, Mossallam has also had an image on his profile pictures that reads ‘Gaza is bleeding.’
In a 2012 interview with the website Brooklyn ink, Mossallam discussed volunteering as outreach director at the Muslim American Society.
“Mossallam says his job is to show Muslims how to interact with non-Muslims, how to live as law-abiding Americans while still maintaining their Muslim identity,” part of the article reads.
In the article, Mossallam says that in the aftermath of September 11, many Muslims were afraid to pray in public, which negatively affected assimilation.
‘The first thing is that you don’t have to be ashamed of being a Muslim. You want to fit in, but not too much. When you walk down the street you don’t want someone to say, “Oh there goes John” or “There goes David”, you want them to recognize it and say, “Oh there goes Mohammed” or “There goes Ibrahim.”‘
In his role at the Muslim American Society, Mossallam said he helped open a mosque in Sheepshead Bay, a historically Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.
According to a Facebook post from the Muslim American Society, Mossallam is married and has children. At university he studied aeronautical sciences and world religions.
Air Canada took action and grounded Mostafa Ezzo when his anti-Israel social media posts became apparent
This follows an incident in October in which an Air Canada pilot was fired after he was found to have posted messages in support of Hamas.
First Officer Mostafa Ezzo, who is based out of Montreal, even posted a photo of himself in his uniform holding a Palestinian flag. Ezzo piloted a B787 aircraft.
“We are aware of the unacceptable messages from an Air Canada pilot. We are taking this matter very seriously and he was removed from service on Monday 9 October. We strongly condemn violence in all forms,” Air Canada wrote in a post on X.
Ezzo promoted a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Montreal that took place on Sunday, the day after Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians began. “F*** you Israel, burn in hell,” he added to the post.
In other posts circulated online, Ezzo referred to the Jewish state as a “terorist (sic) state” and posted a photo of himself holding a sign that read: “Israel, Hitler is proud of you.”