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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

After last week’s escalation along the northern border, US special envoy Amos Hochstein is in the country to try to head off a war with Hezbollah and advance efforts to rein in hostilities along the “Blue Line” between Israel and Lebanon. What are his chances?

An unnamed senior Israeli negotiator told AFP yesterday that dozens of hostages are still alive and that the Israeli negotiating team had green-lit the Biden plan and is waiting for Hamas's answer. Berman brings up an idea that is slowly gaining support, that Israel must change the paradigm of the war in Gaza and consider it as just a first step in taking on all the Iranian proxies that make up the hydra-like monster that is Iran.  

A document by the IDF’s Gaza Division warning of a potential attack by Hamas and en masse hostage-taking that was internally circulated on September 19 and reportedly brought to the attention of at least some senior intelligence officials, was ignored. Berman explores the report and discusses some reasons why -- tragically -- this intel wasn't acted upon.

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

Discussed articles include:

Top Biden aide in Israel to try to head off war with Hezbollah

Gantz tells visiting US envoy ‘time is running out’ for deal to calm northern border

Dozens of hostages are alive ‘with certainty’ — top Israeli negotiator

Netanyahu officially disbands war cabinet after Gantz’s departure from government

3 weeks before Oct. 7, IDF Gaza Division warned of Hamas plan to attack, take 250 hostages

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 Ben Wallick. 

IMAGE: Relatives and supporters of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, take part in a demonstration calling for their release in Tel Aviv on June 15, 2024. (Jack Guez / AFP)
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.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Sokol speaks about the Knesset voting on a bill to extend reservists' service, in order to keep reservists keep serving because of exigencies of the war, and an ongoing manpower shortage.

Sokol discusses how this bill feeds into the ongoing ultra-Orthodox draft issue, generating a backlash of anger as it backs into what is sometimes called an evasion law for the ultra-Orthodox draft, allowing exemptions for young yeshiva students while the burden falls on other parts of Israeli society.

He also looks at another bill that would allow the government to appoint hundreds of new state-funded rabbinical posts in towns and local councils, creating a kind of jobs program for members of the coalition's religious parties. The bill was stalled during the earlier months of the war, is now being pushed by the coalition partners and Sokol said that a major political scrap could emerge from these two controversial issues on the docket.

Surkes talks about a pilot program for the children of migrants and refugees that integrates them into mixed classes in other neighborhoods, offering more hope for the future but not solving the many issues facing  this beleaguered population.

She also describes the rescue of a Nubian ibex that fell into a deep sinkhole near Kibbutz Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea.

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

Discussed articles include:

Far-right ministers blast ‘delusional’ daily pauses in fighting to secure Gaza aid

Knesset revives bill expanding Chief Rabbinate’s influence over local authorities

Government backs new extension to IDF reservists’ service despite backlash

Nubian ibex rescued from 10-meter-deep sinkhole

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: Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest against the drafting of Haredim to the IDF, June 2, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The deaths of 11 soldiers were announced over the past day. We begin with the group of 8 who were killed in Rafah in the IDF’s deadliest incident in the past six months. Two reservists were killed when their tank came under attack in northern Gaza over the weekend, the military also announced Sunday. And finally, Fabian describes the incident involving a further soldier, Sgt. Yair Roitman, 19, of the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Karnei Shomron, who succumbed to his wounds from Monday over the weekend.

The IDF announced this morning a new daily 11-hour tactical pause of military activity along a key road in the southern Gaza Strip. What is the purpose of this?

At the same time, the United States military is preparing to temporarily remove its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza because of anticipated sea conditions, a US official said on Friday.

And finally, footage circulating on social media on Thursday showed Israeli soldiers using a kind of a catapult to launch incendiaries at Lebanon, to spark fires on the other side of the border. What was the official IDF response to this?

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

Discussed articles include:

Eight troops killed in Rafah explosion, in deadliest incident for IDF in 6 months

Two reservists killed in north Gaza, as soldiers slain in Rafah blast named

IDF announces daily pause in fighting along key south Gaza road to increase aid flow

US to temporarily remove aid pier from Gaza coast again due to bad weather

Troops use trebuchet to launch incendiaries at Lebanon

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: Troops of the Commando Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo published June 15, 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 251 of the war with Hamas. ToI senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's special episode of What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring one key issue currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World.

This week, host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.

On Tuesday, the United Nations published an annual report on children in armed conflict, which for the first time added the Israeli military, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to its list of worst offenders. The decision to add the IDF to what has become known as “the list of shame” was due to what the report said was its killing and maiming of children and attacking schools and hospitals. Israel asserts that it operates according to international law, taking steps to avoid civilian casualties.

And on Wednesday, a UN inquiry alleged both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, saying Israel’s actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of “extermination.”

This week, we discuss the use of international bodies to delegitimize Israel and how international law -- developed in part by Jews -- no longer protects the little guys.

Discussed articles include:

UN reports accuse Israel of ‘extermination,’ crimes against humanity; Hamas of war crimes

UN publishes report with IDF, Hamas, PIJ added to ‘list of shame’ for first time

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: Israel's legal team waits to hear the arguments of South Africa's legal team as part of South Africa case against Israel over Rafah offensive at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, on May 16, 2024. (Nick Gammon/AFP)
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 251 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told CNN that nobody in the organization knows how many of the 116 remaining hostages kidnapped on October 7 are still alive. Magid dives into what else he said, including Hamas's stance on the ongoing hostage release negotiations.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday said he doesn’t expect a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza to be reached in the near future, saying Hamas needs to shift its position closer to Israel’s US-backed proposal on the table. Is the US losing patience?

On Thursday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted that he signed an order to transfer some NIS 130 million ($35 million) of tax funds Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to victims of terror. The issue of the PA frozen funds apparently came up during Sect. of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Magid explains potential fallout of a West Bank pushed over the brink.

A poll released Wednesday found rising support for the Hamas terror group among Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. Magid delves into the poll, which was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) between May 26 and June 1.

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

Discussed articles include:

Top Hamas official: Nobody has any clue how many hostages still alive

Biden says Hamas needs ‘to move’ on truce deal, blaming terror group for hold-up

Smotrich says he transferred $35 million in PA funds to terror victims

US official: Netanyahu refusal to release PA tax funds due to pressure from right

Poll: Support for Hamas on the rise among Palestinians, now double Fatah’s

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: Students of Birzeit University in the West Bank chant slogans during a protest in support of Gaza on June 10, 2024. (Zain Jaafar / AFP)
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 251 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Yesterday, Hezbollah launched some 215 rockets and several more missiles and drones at northern Israel. The barrages marked the largest attack carried out by Hezbollah during ongoing fighting on the Lebanon border amid the war in the Gaza Strip. This came after the Israel Air Force struck southern Lebanon and killed Hezbollah top commander Taleb Abdullah on Tuesday night. Fabian fills us in.

After the past several days of conflict along the northern border -- due to an escalation from both side -- Berman examines what a war between Israel and Hezbollah would not look like.

The IDF said Wednesday it would recognize a reservist with post-traumatic stress disorder who took his own life as a fallen soldier, and he will receive a military burial as his family had requested. Fabian tells us more about the case of combat engineer Sgt. Maj. (res.) Eliran Mizrahi.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said today while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting of leaders in southern Italy that Israel is standing behind a ceasefire proposal for the eight-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, and the goal is to bridge gaps with Hamas and get to a deal soon. Berman examines Hamas's statements and the ability to carry on negotiations.

A UN Commission of Inquiry alleged on Wednesday that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, saying Israel’s actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of “extermination.” What happens next?

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

Discussed articles include:

215 rockets fired at north after IDF killing of ‘most senior’ Hezbollah officer yet

IDF to recognize reservist with PTSD who took own life as a fallen soldier

Blinken pans Hamas response to Israeli offer, says some of its changes ‘not workable’

UN reports accuse Israel of ‘extermination,’ crimes against humanity; Hamas of war crimes

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: The coffin of Taleb Abdallah, known as Abu Taleb, a senior field commander of Hezbollah who was killed in what security forces say was an Israel strike, is carried during his funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 12, 2024. (Anwar Amro / AFP)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.