Donate Menu

No images? Click here

Update from Israel

October 1, 2026

Prepared by and sent from Jewish Federations of North America's Israel Office 

Jewish Federations will host two more webinars in our elections series featuring Israeli political experts Haviv Rettig Gur and Miri Eisin: “One Week until Israel’s Elections” (October 19), and “24 Hours after the Results: What Do We Do Now?” (October 28). Click here to register. For background on the Israeli election system, read our explainer and watch our new video, designed for a Federation audience.

  • Brave flydubai crew and Israeli passengers foil attempted terror attack on flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, 174 lives saved
  • Two IDF soldiers killed in Gaza
  • Israeli leaders condemn major incident of settler violence
  • Some 70 delegates leave UN General Assembly during Netanyahu’s speech

Plane Hijacking

  • Flydubai flight FZ1073 took off yesterday morning from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv. On board were 174 people, most of them Israelis, including four American-Israeli dual citizens. The captain was Indian national Smit Machchhar, 39, who has 13 years of flying experience. The copilot was an Omani national.
  • About two hours and 15 minutes into the flight, the copilot stabbed the captain in the cockpit. An Israeli passenger who was in the bathroom at the front of the plane with her daughter alerted a flight attendant, when she heard screams and a struggle from the cockpit. Moments later, the wounded captain fell out through the cockpit door. Despite his injuries, he managed to unlock the door before losing consciousness.
  • The Boeing 737 MAX then went into a nosedive, plunging roughly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds as passengers were thrown around the cabin. At 8:31 am Israel time (1:31 am ET), the plane sent an emergency signal, followed minutes later by the international code for a hijacking. It was then flying along the Saudi-Jordanian border, and it briefly entered Jordanian airspace before turning back into Saudi Arabia. See this footage of confusion from inside the plane after the drop in altitude.
  • Understanding the danger, three Israeli passengers stormed the cockpit: Yaniv Hayoun, Tzvika Manes, and Asaf Rajuan. Hayoun said that when he went in, the attacker was standing over the controls with no pilots in their seats, "trying to destroy the controls in order to disable the plane." He put the copilot in a chokehold and dragged him out. He then went back in and pulled back on the controls to level the plane, saying he knew what to do because "I watch Mayday," the TV series about air disasters. The passengers tied up the attacker with headphone cords from the plane’s entertainment system.
  • Reserve flydubai pilots traveling as passengers then took over the controls. Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musayev, returning home from China, was the only doctor on board. He stopped the captain's heavy bleeding, including from a significant head wound, and stabilized his blood pressure. "When I heard screaming, after 10 seconds I ran — I didn't wait," he said.
  • In Israel, Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward the plane. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held emergency consultations, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted an assessment with senior commanders. Passengers later described widespread praying, with people saying "Shema Yisrael" during the dive.
  • Shortly before 10:00 am, about an hour after the attack, the plane made a safe emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northwest Saudi Arabia. Early investigations showed that portions of the rudder were missing from the plane’s tail. Both pilots were taken to a Saudi hospital.  The copilot was arrested and is being interrogated by Saudi authorities. Israeli and other passengers praised their treatment in Tabuk, where Saudi soldiers, doctors, and nurses repeatedly told them they were in a safe place.
  • Read: ‘We’re in charge of the flight now’: Passenger describes fight for flydubai cabin
  • Israeli authorities requested permission to send an El Al or Israeli Airforce plane to bring the passengers to Tel Aviv, but this request was refused by Saudi Arabia.
  • Later, fllydubai sent a second aircraft to Tabuk to bring the passengers home. Some passengers were initially reluctant to board another flydubai plane, and the flight was delayed while checks were carried out on its crew. The aircraft eventually took off at about 5:40 pm and landed at Ben Gurion Airport just before 6:35 pm. Israel’s ambulance service, Magen David Adom, examined everyone on arrival, and one 51-year-old man was taken to hospital in good condition with an upper-body injury.
  • At Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu met the passengers who had stopped the terrorist, and then spoke with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and with President Trump. He later praised Capt. Machchhar as "a true hero" who "saved the lives of 174 people." Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar spoke with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, and both pledged to cooperate against "extremist elements" seeking to undermine regional stability. The Foreign Ministry briefed all Israeli ambassadors that the incident was an attempted terror attack "against Israelis, the United Arab Emirates, and the Abraham Accords."
  • President Isaac Herzog called the outcome a "great miracle" and said Israel would investigate together with its Emirati partners. Defense Minister Katz called it "an attempted jihadist terror attack." US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said the passengers' "heroism in the face of terror averted catastrophe." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar, saying "his valor helped save hundreds of lives."
  • For now, flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues. The airline usually operates up to 10 daily flights on the Dubai–Tel Aviv route, and it has been a key air link for Israelis since October 7. El Al announced it will resume its own Tel Aviv–Dubai route in November, ending an eight-month suspension that began with the war on Iran. Arkia said it is preparing to operate two daily flights on the route, subject to approval from security authorities.
  • Israel said it will tighten security checks on all pilots flying into the country, including those of foreign airlines. "Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities," said a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office. Shin Bet agents traveled to Dubai this morning to prepare security for Israeli-operated repatriation flights, expected to begin tomorrow. The flights will bring Israelis home who had been booked on non-Israeli airlines.
  • President Herzog announced today that he will recommend Hayoun, Manes, Rajuan and Dr. Musayev for the President's Medal for Civilian Heroism, Israel's highest civilian award for valor. Herzog established the medal after October 7. He also thanked Tali Manes for raising the alarm and Capt. Machchhar, "whose determination and actions made it possible to neutralize the attacker." "You risked yourselves to save others and prevented a major disaster. The entire world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society," Herzog told the four. Musayev responded: "We were all heroes. All the passengers were heroes."
  • Capt. Machchhar underwent surgery in Saudi Arabia, and the Indian Embassy reported he is  in stable condition.
  • The copilot's motive remains unknown. Channel 12 reported that Israel currently believes he acted as a "lone wolf," with no indication so far that he was directed by Iran or another entity. Asked about possible Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said "it's too early to say," adding that the attacker "obviously hated Israelis" and that Israel may take part in the investigation. Watch Netanyahu on CBS News here.
  • Jewish Federations of North America said that “We are deeply grateful to the pilot who, while injured, managed to open the cockpit door, to the crew members and passengers who acted swiftly to bring the plane to safety, and to the Saudi authorities for shepherding the passengers home.”

Conflicts

  • Two IDF combat reservists were killed in the northern Gaza Strip last Thursday: Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Kali, 24, from Har Halutz in the Galilee, and Master Sgt. (res.) Ofek Moalem, 23, from Jerusalem. According to an initial investigation, the two were operating explosive drones against a terrorist. The first drone completed its mission, but a second unexpectedly turned back toward the Israeli force and crashed inside its outpost. It exploded as the two approached to examine it. Kali is survived by his parents, two older brothers, and his partner, Rotem. Moalem is survived by his parents, a twin brother, and a younger sister.  He had just completed his first year of mechanical engineering studies.
  • More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Jalud in the northern West Bank on Tuesday. The attack came as the IDF was escorting a displaced Palestinian family back to their homes, which settlers had taken over two months earlier. According to the IDF, the rioters blocked roads, burned tires, set fire to Palestinian buildings and vehicles, and threw rocks at security forces, lightly injuring three Border Police officers. The family was unable to return home. One person was arrested and two minors were questioned. In a strong rebuke, Netanyahu said the rioters "do not represent the law-abiding settler community," and called for them to be prosecuted. President Herzog called the attack "a moral stain, an assault on the rule of law and our most fundamental values as a people and a nation."
  • Last week, through Qatari mediators, Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks within seven days. Its conditions were that the US lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and observe a ceasefire that includes Lebanon. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said "I rejected their deal," arguing Iran wanted an agreement because it was "losing so badly." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump expects US bombing of Iran to resume after the November 3 midterms. Secretary of State Rubio ordered Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's delegation to leave the US after the UN General Assembly. Iran, meanwhile, threatened to attack infrastructure across the Middle East, and UK maritime monitors reported three ships hit in Hormuz.
  • British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are "strong indications" that Iran was involved in last weekend's security incident near RAF Fairford, a base used by the US military in its campaign against Iran. Five British suspects have been released on bail, although Iran's Embassy in London "categorically rejects" the accusation.
  • The IDF and Shin Bet killed Izz al-Din al-Bik, commander of Hamas's Northern Gaza Brigade, in an airstrike on Gaza City overnight Monday. Al-Bik had led the brigade since his predecessor was killed in November 2023, and had survived an earlier Israeli strike in May. Israeli media reported that the spike in successful strikes followed Israel's capture on September 2 of senior Hamas internal security official Mu'in al-Arabid. "We will continue to hunt and pursue all of the organization's terrorists… until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza," Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz said in a joint statement.
  • Implementation of the Board of Peace's $2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan remains stalled over Hamas's disarmament and the sequencing of further Israeli withdrawals. Board officials said negotiations with Israel will be difficult until after the October 27 election, and work is not expected to begin until well after.
  • Houthi missile fire at Saudi Arabia continued. The kingdom said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired toward the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the city of Taif last Thursday, and another missile on Saturday.
  • The last US troops withdrew from Iraq yesterday, after 23 years, with President Trump calling it "a victory for the United States." Iran hailed the withdrawal as a win for its "axis of resistance." Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi set June 30, 2027, as the deadline for Iran-backed militias to disarm, after backing away from an earlier September 30 deadline.
  • Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly last Thursday. Scores of delegates walked out as he took the podium, most of them from Arab and Muslim countries, with the UAE and Bahrain as notable exceptions. The walkout followed a call from the Palestinian mission. Invited guests in the gallery gave Netanyahu a standing ovation and chanted "Am Yisrael Chai." "If there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now," Netanyahu said as he began. He called the genocide accusation against Israel "the greatest lie of the century," saying "Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide." He described the war on Iran as one of the easiest decisions he had ever made, and thanked President Trump for his "bold leadership." He also accused Western European leaders of being "afraid to defend freedom." Netanyahu called New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani "antisemitic," saying "you can't silence me." Outside the UN, more than 100 anti-Israel protesters were detained for blocking roads. Watch the full speech here.

Israeli Elections

  • With less than four weeks to go until the October 27 election, the race remains deadlocked. A Kan poll published Sunday had the two blocs tied at 52 seats each. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar remains the largest party with 23 seats, down one, while Likud rose one seat to 21. Asked who they prefer as prime minister, 39% chose Netanyahu and 38% chose Eisenkot.
  • In the same poll, Yoaz Hendel's Reservists party crossed the electoral threshold for the first time, making it a potential kingmaker.
  • Israeli media reported that two United Torah Judaism MKs, Yitzhak Goldknopf and Ya'akov Tessler, plan to abstain rather than oppose any vote to swear in an Eisenkot-led minority government. The report said this is out of anger at Netanyahu's failure to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service. UTJ has until now been counted firmly in Netanyahu's bloc. The party's chairman later denied the report, saying UTJ would not act out of revenge. Goldknopf said Agudat Yisrael will not support or give outside backing to any government until a draft law "without sanctions and without quotas" is passed. Eisenkot said that, at the moment, no Arab or Haredi party meets his conditions for joining his government, including Mansour Abbas's Ra'am.
  • Netanyahu said there were indications that "enemies" were plotting an attack ahead of the election, but gave no details. IDF sources said the army knows of no specific threats. Opposition leader Yair Lapid was briefed by the prime minister and then said there was "no reason to put the public in a panic." Lapid added that if Netanyahu is so worried about security, he should draft the 15,000 Haredim the IDF needs. After yesterday's flydubai attack, coalition figures said the incident vindicated Netanyahu's warnings. Opposition figures drew parallels to October 7, arguing that civilians were again left to fend for themselves.
  • Several media reports over the last week claimed that Egypt and the UAE warned Netanyahu of a possible Hamas attack ahead of October 7. The accusations have become a major campaign issue. Likud said Netanyahu has sued the outlets involved, calling the reports a "total invention." Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said he will sue Netanyahu over the prime minister's claim that Bar withheld pre-October 7 warnings.
  • The Supreme Court today reviewed the Central Elections Committee’s decisions to bar Ra’am, the Joint List, Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh from running. During the hearing, all nine justices recommended that Abu Shehadeh withdraw his candidacy, with Court President Isaac Amit indicating that a majority favored upholding his disqualification. Abu Shehadeh was given until Friday morning to respond. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported barring him but opposed disqualifying Ra’am, the Joint List and Cassif. Final rulings remain pending. Separate petitions filed Tuesday seek to overturn the committee’s decision to allow Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit to run.
  • On Wednesday, October 14, the Tisch Center for Jewish Dialogue at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People will host "Diaspora Asks Israeli Parties: Where Do You Stand on World Jewry?" It is a live panel with representatives of Israeli political parties on Israel's relationship with, and responsibility toward, the global Jewish people. The panel will be livestreamed from 12:30 to 2:00 PM ET, and the full list of panelists will be announced closer to the date. Register to watch online here.

Other Developments

  • Prime Minister Netanyahu made a secret trip to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to meet UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. He flew on a private jet and returned the same day. The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the meeting itself. It said the UAE maintains "open and direct lines of communication" with Israel and shares "all relevant intelligence."
  • On Tuesday, several thousand ultra-Orthodox men marched through Jerusalem to honor Haredi draft evaders recently released from military prison. Organizers reportedly promised each former prisoner around $310, funded from abroad. Some marchers carried signs comparing the jailed draft evaders to hostages.
  • Gas prices in Israel hit a record of around $10.17 per gallon today. The Energy Ministry attributed the rise mainly to global oil prices topping $100 a barrel and the dollar's strengthening against the shekel. The increase came even with a temporary fuel-tax cut in place. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is seeking a further cut of about 15 cents per gallon for one month, pending the attorney general's approval.
  • The Foreign Ministry rescued a group of Israelis stranded in northern Ethiopia after fighting resumed between Tigrayan rebels and the Ethiopian government. The Israelis had been stuck for days in the city of Lalibela, where flights were canceled and roads were unsafe. Some were evacuated by helicopter and others were escorted overland by the Ethiopian military. They are now continuing to Addis Ababa.
  • The parents of Almog Sarusi, who was murdered in Hamas captivity, welcomed a newborn son conceived in his memory. The baby, named Lavi, was born via surrogacy using eggs that had been frozen for a quarter of a century.
  • Israel's Ministry of Education and Intel have signed an agreement to expand STEM and artificial intelligence education in Israeli schools. Under the agreement, Intel employees will mentor students and teachers, AI will be integrated into technological education programs, and joint activities in schools and local authorities will expand. The two will also continue running the STARTCUP student competition, which last year sent four winning Israeli projects to Intel's global AI festival. The agreement was signed in New York on September 24 in the presence of Education Minister Yoav Kisch, the Prime Minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, and White House representatives. It is part of "Fostering the Future Together," an international initiative launched by First Lady Melania Trump on AI, digital literacy, and online safety for children, which Sara Netanyahu leads in Israel.
  • Israel's Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) has revoked the aliyah approval of two young Jewish activists after the Jewish Agency had already approved their applications. One is Lawrence Shenkin, a 23-year-old British Jew from a Modern Orthodox family in London's Golders Green. The other is a 27-year-old American Jewish law student. Both have been active in "protective presence" groups, which accompany Palestinian communities in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). These are believed to be the first known cases of halakhic Jews with no criminal record being denied the right to immigrate under the Law of Return. The law allows the interior minister to refuse an applicant only in narrow cases, such as someone acting against the Jewish people, endangering public health or state security, or having a dangerous criminal record. PIBA has not given its reasons. It said the two applications "are being reviewed individually on their own merits" and that "there is no freeze whatsoever."

For Further Reading

For more information, please contact: Jewish Federations of North America’s Dani Wassner [email protected]. Subscribe to this weekly update here.
 

Jewish Federations of North America