Netanyahu says ‘whoever sent attacker will pay heavy price’
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone’s direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a “heavy price”.
Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.
Netanyahu on Thursday said that the co-pilot, whom he has identified as an Omani national, had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, but that so far a motive for his actions had not been established.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2026 22:02
Senior UAE official calls Israel flight hijacking act of ‘terrorism’
A senior UAE official has called the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai flight to Israel an “act of terrorism”.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, also praised the Indian pilot who was stabbed, saying he “embodied the meaning of courage”.
He wrote on X: “The Indian pilot at “Flydubai,” Smit Mathur, deserves every bit of appreciation, for he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster.
“His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest of circumstances make him a true hero. Far from the easy reduction of what happened or the adoption and promotion of conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain essential in confronting the risks of extremism and terrorism.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2026 22:01
Wounded captain says he had to get back on feet to save passengers
The FlyDubai captain told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save everyone on board, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot and the aircraft plunged into a steep descent.
“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” Capt. Smit Machchhar said from a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
“I was fighting for my life. At one point I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”
Machchhar was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with 182 people on board, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia.
His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Israel was set to begin repatriation flights to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended following the attack.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2026 22:00
Israeli strikes kill 2 people in Gaza City, local health officials say
Two separate Israeli strikes in Gaza City killed two people and wounded at least another, according to health officials at the Shifa hospital and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Israel’s military acknowledged carrying out the strikes, saying that it hit militants in the areas, without elaborating.
Separately, the military said that it also killed a “Hamas sniper” in an airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis area, identifying him as Tamer Hamaida.
Palestinian health officials said Hamaida was killed in a strike carried out Thursday night.
The Israeli military’s chief Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya, said this week that the military targeted 70 militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in the Gaza Strip in September.
Palestinians reported a surge in the strikes across the enclave over the past month.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2026 21:00
Watch: Netanyahu says Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination
Netanyahu says Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination
Maira Butt2 October 2026 20:10
Flydubai suspends flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv
Flydubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv while authorities investigate the cockpit attack.
The suspension has left passengers stranded and Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia are planning rescue flights from Dubai to bring travellers back on Friday.
Israel’s transportation ministry has also made an urgent request to Etihad Airways to increase flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
Maira Butt2 October 2026 19:40
Watch: Flydubai pilot reveals desperate attempts to unlock cockpit to passengers while being attacked
New footage shows bloodied Flydubai passengers rush to subdue pilot
Maira Butt2 October 2026 19:10
Captain Smit Machchhar: Modi and Trump hail ‘hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
Trump said he spoke to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. He hailed Cpt Machchhar as a “hero” for fighting off the knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door, and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.
Maira Butt2 October 2026 18:40
Analysis: How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister had just taken a similar flight path from the UAE to Israel as the ill-fated FlyDubai passengers.
He had been in Abu Dhabi, Israeli media has reported, because he was trying to get the president of the Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to say publicly that he had not warned Netanyahu about the October 7 2023 Hamas-led massacres.
Maira Butt2 October 2026 18:10
Passenger describes moment Flydubai plane plunged 17,000ft
A passenger on the Flydubai flight has described the moment the aircraft plunged more than 17,000ft during the cockpit attack, saying it felt like a “rollercoaster”.
Adam Polovincik told the BBC that as the plane nosedived, he hugged his six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter “really hard”. He said that he tried to stay calm as the attack unfolded.
He said there had been a “huge degree of panic” on the plane as there was a “very, very, very sharp decrease in height”.
The aircraft later regained control after passengers and crew intervened and landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
Maira Butt2 October 2026 17:40