Published Oct 3, 2026 5:08 am : Updated Oct 4, 2026 4:04 am
Palestinians inspect the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The co-pilot suspected in this week’s FlyDubai attack has been identified as an Omani national, and the United Arab Emirates says he attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash ax before trying to seize the controls.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Gaza says Israeli strikes have killed five people, including two from the Palestinian territory’s Christian minority. And a fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, with no details released on the cause.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.
Co-pilot is identified as an Omani national
The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, said three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat.
All spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. The Gulf diplomat said that investigations are underway to establish whether he acted alone.
The United Arab Emirates said that the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash ax and tried to take control of the plane in a “terrorist attack.”
The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the sharply plummeting flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a separate person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
— By Samy Magdy, Sam Mednick, Anna Johnson
Hospital says 5 people killed in Gaza
Israeli strikes overnight in Gaza killed five people, according to Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Four women were among those killed. A mother and daughter among them were Christians, a minority in Gaza, the hospital said, and the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed condolences.
A large fire burned at the site, where the strikes tore a gaping hole in the ground floor of a multistory building. The hospital said that people were still reported missing beneath the debris.
Israel’s military didn’t immediately comment, saying it was checking for information.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,439 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with the Hamas militant group nearly a year ago, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It doesn’t give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks.
Israel says it killed top aide to Sinwar
Israel’s army said Saturday that it killed the most senior Hamas figure in Gaza and the right hand man to Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Ali Ahmed Al-Amoudi was killed in an apartment used by Hamas, said the army. It said he was the deputy chairman for Hamas’ political bureau and that he was involved in decision-making surrounding the group’s attacks that sparked the war.
The army said Al-Amoudi took part in an attack in the West Bank in 1993 in which four Israelis were killed and in the killing of an officer the year later in Ramallah.
It said that today he was directly involved in rebuilding Hamas’ capabilities to fight.
Fires break out at a Saudi oil facility
A fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, sending dense black smoke into the air, a witness said on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
It wasn’t clear what caused the fire at an Aramco oil refinery. Authorities tightened security in the area and police blocked roads leading to it, the witness said.
The Saudi state-run Aramco oil company and the government-run Center for International Communication, which oversees foreign media in Saudi Arabia, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi oil facilities have recently been hit in missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. A major escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis has revived Yemen’s civil war.
— By Samy Magdy
Houthi rebels in Yemen report airstrikes in Sanaa
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said that airstrikes hit the capital, Sanaa, as renewed fighting raged between the Houthis on one side and Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government on the other. Residents reported hearing three loud explosions.
The Houthi media office accused Saudi Arabia of launching the strikes but didn’t offer evidence. There was no immediate Saudi comment.
Yemen’s military claimed responsibility. In a social media post, a spokesperson, Col. Majed al-Nazili, said that “legitimate vital military targets” were hit. He didn’t offer details.
Hegseth says US blockade of Strait of Hormuz ‘ironclad’
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “ironclad” and that President Donald Trump has “all the options he needs on the table” if Iran continues to “play games” with the strait.
“Iran wants to play games with things like the Strait of Hormuz. They don’t control it, we do,” Hegseth told reporters. “They have literally gotten nothing through. Our blockade has been ironclad and we’re running almost at prewar levels every single night through that, you see that as far as the throughput.”
He added: “So we feel like we’re in a very strong position. Iran ought make the right choice. If they don’t, the president is going to have all the options he needs on the table. But he is not going to let these things extend unnecessarily. He understands what the mission is and we can get it done when called upon.”
Hegseth also said that Trump is “hellbent” on Iran not having a nuclear weapon.
“The message is very simple: Iran will never ever ever have a nuclear weapon. President Trump is hell-bent and determined to ensure that they do not; they will not,” Hegseth said.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
The Associated Press
This post was last modified on 10/04/2026 4:04 am