The Times of Israel Daily Briefing The Times of Israel

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 243 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and political reporter Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Berman discusses the diplomatic discussions between the various counterparts in the push for a hostage agreement, as the Biden administration pushes for a first phase of a deal, and waits for the first stages of agreement from Hamas via Qatar.

He notes that Israel has agreed to move forward on the deal, and that the government is doing more than he expected to get the hostages out. That said, Israel is insisting on toppling Hamas militarily, getting all hostages out and ensuring that Gaza will not be a future platform for terrorist attacks.

Berman also discusses Netanyahu's conversation with French prime minister Emmanuel Macron who reemphasized French support for Israel and the hostages.

Sokol looks at the reactions of far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to the hostage talks, as they have threatened to bring down the government if Netanyahu signs what they consider a reckless deal.

He also notes that the ultra-Orthodox are in favor of the deal, given their long-time support of Netanyahu. The Haredi parties generally don't weigh in on security issues, given that their communities don't serve in the army.

Finally, Sokol offers a quick preview of the upcoming Jerusalem Day flag march into the Old City, an often controversial event particularly given the presence of Ben Gvir at the march.

For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

PM says Biden version of deal ‘incomplete’; US: It accurately reflects Israeli offer

Macron tells Netanyahu Gaza war must end, is mum on freeing hostages as condition

Biden’s ‘Israeli’ proposal for a hostage deal leaves key questions unanswered

Far-right ministers accuse Netanyahu of ‘whitewashing’ hostage deal, hiding details

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Demonstrators call for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip outside Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, June 4, 2024. (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 242 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and diaspora reporter Canaan Lidor join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Schneider discusses the IDF's discovery of four hostages pronounced dead in Gaza, including three octogenarian Kibbutz Oz founders Chaim Peri, Amiram Cooper and Yoram Metzger and Kibbutz Nirim's Nadav Popplewell, and how that finding enrages the hostage families in their push for a deal.

She also looks at the politics of the current hostage deal on the table, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walks a narrow line of trying to keep his coalition intact while honing to the requests of US President Joe Biden who wants to see a deal on the table.

Lidor talks about the presidential election in Mexico, won by candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, who describes herself as having Jewish roots, and what it could mean for Mexico and the US.

He also describes a recent conference of representatives of the Jewish communities of the European Union, who practiced tactics of fighting off antisemitic attacks and discussed at what point they will tell their communities to leave Europe.

For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Israel announces the deaths of four hostages in Hamas captivity

Protesters block Tel Aviv highway, urging hostage deal after 4 captives declared dead

Biden says Israel ready to advance deal, urges Qatari pressure on Hamas to agree

PM says Biden version of deal ‘incomplete’; US: It accurately reflects Israeli offer

Claudia Sheinbaum wins election to become Mexico’s 1st woman, 1st Jewish president

Quietly Jewish scientist poised to win Sunday’s Mexican presidential election

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Protests on Tel Aviv's Begin Road on Monday night as hostage family members make desperate plea for a deal (Courtesy Gilad Furst)
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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 241 of the war with Hamas. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Dolev Yehud, 35, initially thought to have been taken hostage to the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists on October 7, was declared dead after his body was identified in Israel, the military said. Why now and what do we know about his death?

The IDF said on Sunday that troops had recently begun to operate in the Yabna camp in central Rafah, adjacent to the border with Egypt. We earlier had reported that there are four Hamas battalions in Rafah. Fabian explains what we know about the operations as well as Hamas's capabilities right now.

The IDF said it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile heading toward Israel from the direction of the Red Sea. We hear how the ballistic missile, apparently launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, affected Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

The Nahariya municipality announced that schools and educational institutions opened as usual, a day after a drone strike hit the city for the first time. Fabian dives into how these drones are more accurate than missiles and appears to be Hezbollah's weapon of choice for the moment.

The war cabinet convened Sunday evening to discuss the proposal and its possible implementation, given international and domestic pressure to accept the deal aimed at securing the release of 120 hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza since being kidnapped on October 7. Would the IDF welcome a temporary ceasefire?

For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Presumed hostage Dolev Yehud declared dead as remains identified in Israel

Apparent Houthi ballistic missile fired at Eilat downed by Arrow system — IDF

Gallant vows war won’t end until Hamas is destroyed; IDF advances further in Rafah

Determination and grit at a somber NYC Israel Day parade, led by families of hostages

Claudia Sheinbaum wins election to become Mexico’s 1st woman, 1st Jewish president

Quietly Jewish scientist poised to win Sunday’s Mexican presidential election

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in a photo released for publication on June 3, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 240 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz and US bureau chief Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

On Friday afternoon in Washington DC, US President Joe Biden declared it’s “time for this war to end,” and presented what he said was the latest Israeli proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire to end the Israel-Hamas war. He also repeatedly called on both sides to accept the offer.

According to Biden, the Israeli proposal was submitted on Thursday to Hamas via Qatar. Biden said the offer would “bring all the hostages home, ensure Israel’s security, create a better day after in Gaza without Hamas in power, and set the stage for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

We devote the entire episode to an attempt to unravel Biden's speech and sift for more details about the proposal. We hear how Israeli and American politicians are receiving the speech -- as well as the world.

And finally, we hear whether this speech will help Biden win voters, or bleed them.

For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

‘Time for this war to end’: Biden tells Hamas to accept Israel’s hostage-ceasefire offer

Full text of Biden’s speech laying out hostage and ceasefire deal for Israel-Hamas war

Far-right parties vow to bring down government if PM backs hostage-ceasefire deal

‘Non-starter’: Netanyahu says no permanent Gaza ceasefire until Hamas destroyed

Netanyahu accepts invitation to address joint session of Congress

120,000 said to rally in Tel Aviv to demand hostage deal, denounce government

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: US President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in the Middle East, in the State Dining Room of the White House on May 31, 2024 (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 239 of the war with Hamas. In this special deep-dive episode, Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in The Times of Israel's Jerusalem offices.

The ADL was founded over a 100 years ago at a time in which antisemitism was on the rise in the United States. As Greenblatt shares, those days are not over and in the past decade, he's marked a 900% rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States alone.

While headquartered in New York, the organization has dozens of regional offices throughout the US and is now partnering with international organizations and institutions, such as Tel Aviv University in its endeavor to document antisemitic incidents worldwide and in as real-time as possible.

This spring was marked with a new crop of threats against Jewish students as pro-Palestinian encampments sprung up on campuses. We discuss when freedom of expression crosses the line into dehumanization and how, with every new social media platform, there is a rapidly changing buffet of opportunities for hate speech.

Discussed articles include:

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt at the Never is Now conference in New York, March 5, 2024. (courtesy)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

It is day 238 of the war with Hamas. US correspondent Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Former US president Donald Trump was convicted by a Manhattan Criminal Court jury of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. And, of course, there’s an alleged Jewish connection. Magid explains.

Israel and Egypt have reportedly reached an agreement in principle to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing in southern Gaza to humanitarian aid for the first time since the Israel Defense Forces took control of the Gazan side of the crossing in early May. But there are still several wrinkles to iron out, says Magid.

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi reportedly said Thursday that the current government will not agree to end its war against Hamas in exchange for the release of all the remaining hostages held by the terror group. The leaked message was made during a heated meeting during which Hanegbi reportedly rebuked and insulted the relatives of several hostages. With all the leaks, are officials now purposefully stating out loud what they want to get to the press?

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Biden administration’s recent announcement that it won’t support sanctions against the International Criminal Court after its top prosecutor asked the tribunal to issue arrest warrants against the premier and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Magid describes how this lack of sanctions is in line with previous Biden administration decisions.

Fifty percent of Israeli Jews support Israel maintaining control of the Gaza Strip after the war against the Hamas terror group ends, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Thursday. What else did it show?

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

‘Real verdict’ will be November 5 election, Trump says, blasting ‘Soros-backed DA’

Israel, Egypt said moving toward reopening Rafah Crossing amid US pressure

Blinken: In the absence of Israeli plan for day after, there won’t be a day after

Israel won’t end war for deal to free all hostages, PM’s aide said to tell families

Netanyahu ‘surprised, disappointed’ by US refusal to sanction ICC over warrants

Poll: Half of Jewish Israelis say Israel should run Gaza after the war; 0% say Hamas

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds up a fist as he arrives back at Trump Tower after being convicted in his criminal trial in New York City, on May 30, 2024. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.