Pieces from a downed EgyptAir plane washed up on Israel’s shores. Photo: CNN/Screenshot.

JNS.org – Israeli authorities have discovered plane wreckage pieces believed to belong to the EgyptAir flight that crashed with 66 passengers and crew members on board into the Mediterranean Sea in May.

The wreckage pieces were discovered near the coast of the Israeli city of Netanya, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. It appears that “there is a high likelihood they are pieces of the Egyptian plane,” and the debris will be returned to Egyptian authorities, the Associated Press quoted the Prime Minister’s Office as saying.

After the May 19 crash, EgyptAir said it received an emergency signal from the plane at 4:26 a.m., two hours after it disappeared from radar screens. The plane’s passengers included 30 Egyptians, 14 French citizens, and citizens from 10 other countries.

If the newly discovered debris belongs to the EgyptAir flight, it would mean that the debris was carried by sea for about 340 miles from the suspected crash site. Egyptian authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash; they are not ruling out either a mechanical failure or terrorism.