An Israeli mother returning home with her three children says she discovered a handwritten “F*** Israel” message inside her checked suitcase after flying from Seattle through Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, an incident now raising disturbing questions about who may have accessed the family’s baggage while it was out of their control.

Noa Sabar Dvoskin, 48, a Los Angeles native who moved to Israel two years ago, had been vacationing in Seattle with her children, ages 9 to 16. The family flew Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Los Angeles before connecting to an El Al flight bound for Israel. Dvoskin said she discovered the note while unpacking after arriving home.

“I felt really scared and uneasy,” she said.

Dvoskin immediately searched the suitcase to determine whether anything else had been disturbed or damaged and photographed the note, which was written in large capital letters. She said she deliberately kept it away from her children.

The central question remains unanswered: who put it there?

There is currently no public evidence establishing where the suitcase was accessed, whether it happened in Seattle or Los Angeles, or who was responsible. Dvoskin reported the incident to Alaska Airlines, Los Angeles International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Embassy in Israel. As of the latest reporting, no suspect had been identified and no airline, airport or federal agency had publicly announced the outcome of an investigation. Alaska Airlines had not responded to requests for comment.

The fact that the message was allegedly found inside checked baggage has intensified concern beyond the hateful language itself. Checked luggage passes through tightly controlled airport systems after passengers surrender it. TSA notes that officers sometimes physically open checked bags during security screening, and says a notice is normally placed inside when an inspection occurs. It is not publicly known whether Dvoskin’s suitcase was officially inspected during the journey.

The incident also comes months after a separate security scare involving an El Al operation at Los Angeles International Airport. In that case, a third-party airport worker placed “Free Palestine” stickers on ground equipment, triggering additional security procedures and baggage screening around an El Al flight to Tel Aviv. Los Angeles airport authorities later said the worker was identified through surveillance footage, lost secure-area access and was fired. Authorities said they found no terrorist connection or coordinated activity.