France on Thursday welcomed Saudi Arabia's indictment of several suspects over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling it a "step in the right direction" in an investigation being watched by the world.

In a statement, the French foreign ministry reiterated President Emmanuel Macron's call for full light to be shed on Khashoggi's October 2 death at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul and said: "We will continue to study developments in the case closely."

Here is a timeline of events since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on October 2.

- 'Murdered' -

Turkey on Thursday said the Saudi statement over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "insufficient" and insisted that the killing was "premeditated."

"We find all those steps positive but insufficient," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised speech.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Thursday dismissed Turkey's demand for an international inquiry into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Riyadh has its own "investigative body" and would "reject" an independent investigation into the killing of Khashoggi, who had been "heavily drugged" before being dismembered, Minister Adel al-Jubeir said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plotted his next moves Thursday after his defence minister resigned over a controversial Gaza ceasefire, throwing his coalition into crisis and raising the possibility of early elections.

Saudi Arabia has requested Turkey sign a cooperation deal on a probe into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, killed and dismembered in his country's Istanbul consulate, the prosecution said Thursday.

A complex man of contradictions, journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government, and was ultimately killed inside its consulate in Istanbul.

Five Saudi officials face the death penalty for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was dismembered inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was not involved, the prosecutor said Thursday.

Kuwait on Thursday halted flights at its international airport after heavy rains flooded the Gulf state's capital, diverting incoming flights to neighbouring countries not affected by deadly storms.

"Rains overnight Wednesday submerged main passages at the airport, resulting in diverting several incoming flights to Dubai, Bahrain and Dammam airports," said the head of Kuwait's civil aviation, Sheikh Salman al-Sabah.

A knife-wielding Palestinian attacker sneaked into a Jerusalem police station and lightly wounded four police officers before he was shot and captured, Israeli police said Thursday.

The assault came on the heels of a fragile truce that was reached between Israel and Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip that ended two days of heavy fighting, the area's most severe violence since the 50-day Gaza war in 2014.