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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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Thursday on Capitol Hill, Berman reports from the Capitol, where much of the focus is still on US President Donald Trump's proposal to offer Gazans to relocate from the war-torn region.
Berman says the atmosphere toward Netanyahu is friendly and the prime minister's entourage is "almost giddy" with the sense of friendship and support from the Trump administration, following the criticism and tension that existed with members of the Biden administration.
While the date to restart negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas has come and gone, Berman says that Israel is now trying to extend the current stage of the deal as much as possible and to get some more hostages out in this first stage. He adds that Israel currently has the upper hand right given Trump's support, and Hamas appears to be carefully maneuvering itself, in its attempt not to be seen as the one making the deal fail.
Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates.
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.
For further reading:
Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager at White House meeting, PM’s office confirms
Trump says Israel would hand Gaza to US when war ends, no American troops needed there
PM calls Trump’s Gaza plan ‘remarkable’; Katz tells IDF to prep for voluntary emigration
Meeting Netanyahu, US defense secretary says Trump seeking ‘new ways to solve problems’
Trump’s Gaza plan won’t happen, but it could certainly shake up the region
IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, is welcomed by, from left, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as they meet at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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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.
Political correspondent Sam Sokol and reporter Diana Bletter join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Sokol discusses the variety of reactions from Knesset members to the remarks made by US President Donald Trump suggesting the relocation of Gazans from the Strip during the expected long reconstruction period. He looks at the predictably pleased statements from the far-right flank of the government, including former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the more guarded comments of Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and National Unity party leader Benny Gantz.
Bletter reports on her trips to several northern villages, where residents are waiting to see if the ceasefire with Hezbollah will hold. Her visit to Alawite village Ghajar, the Jewish town of Mattat and the Druze village of Hurfeish left her with an impression of residents eager to return to regular life but unsure as to what the future may hold.
Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates.
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.
For further reading:
Ben Gvir says he’ll return to government if PM implements Trump’s Gaza transfer plan
Smotrich says he supports Saudi normalization, but not if it means ending war
Lapid: We need to ‘study the details to understand’ Trump’s plan for Gaza
Gantz welcomes Trump’s Gaza comments: ‘Creative, original and interesting thinking’
‘Fear is now in our DNA’: With pause in Hezbollah attacks, two border towns regroup
As Alawite village on Israel-Lebanon border reopens, locals fear for relatives in Syria
IMAGE: Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip via Rashid Street located on the sea, on February 5, 2025 (Photo by Ali Hassan/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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in the White House on Tuesday, Trump repeated his statements to the press about relocating all Gazans, possibly placing US troops in Gaza and annexing the West Bank.
Magid reviews the highlights of Trump's comments and the press conference that followed, as well as reactions from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, condemning Trump's plan.
Magid discusses Trump's ideas regarding a peace process with Saudi Arabia and looks at the US President's statements regarding the annexation of the West Bank as a pressure tactic and one that naturally emboldens Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners.
In Magid's exit interview with Israel's Ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, who served two different Israeli governments, the diplomat shares his perspectives on US-Israel relations, criticizing the Biden administration for its delays in shipping armaments, but also warning against relying solely on Republican support for Israel.
Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates.
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.
For further reading:
Trump: US will ‘take over’ Gaza, level it and create ‘Riviera of the Middle East’
Countering Trump, Saudi Arabia says no Israel normalization without Palestinian state
Hosting PM, Trump urges permanent relocation of all Gazans: ‘That place has been hell’
After finishing DC tour, an Israeli ambassador known for his discretion is ready to talk
IMAGE: US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a joint press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., February 4, 2025. (Photo by Liri Agami/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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Eight were wounded, two critically, in the shooting attack at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir this morning. Horovitz updates on what we knew about the attack at recording time. Sadly, two soldiers' deaths were subsequently announced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington, DC, and set to meet with US President Donald Trump today. Yesterday, reporters were given mixed signals surrounding the president's willingness to see Israel annex the West Bank. Horovitz explains.
Amid mounting talk of a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, posters of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shaking hands with Trump against the backdrop of an Israeli flag were unveiled in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel with the message, “Israel is Ready.” Is it?
Amid the expected restart of negotiations for the second phase of the hostage release-ceasefire deal, Netanyahu appears to be heading toward some personnel changes on his team. Who may be in -- and who is out?
Finally, Justice Minister Yariv Levin declined Monday to sign the official announcement of the appointment of Justice Isaac Amit as the new president of the Supreme Court in the state gazette. While one may call this "petty politics," Horovitz warns that there are very serious repercussions for this type of behavior.
Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates.
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.
For further reading:
2 soldiers killed, 8 hurt in shooting attack at IDF checkpoint in northern West Bank
Asked about West Bank annexation, Trump says Israel ‘a small country, in terms of land’
Billboard campaign proclaims ‘Israel is ready’ for Saudi normalization
Levin declines to sign official announcement of new Supreme Court president
IMAGE: President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony with the Florida Panthers NHL hockey team to celebrate their 2024 Stanley Cup victory in the East Room of the White House, February 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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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.
Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington, DC, yesterday and is set to meet with US President Donald Trump tomorrow. In the meantime, he will meet and potentially start up talks about the second phase of the hostage release deal with US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. Who is Witkoff and is he the key to Trump's idea of depopulating the Gaza Strip?
We discuss what we're learning about the treatment meted out to the three men freed on Saturday: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel.
In an interview that aired on Israel’s Uvda investigative program on Tuesday evening, released hostage Amir Soussana said she owes one of the recently released female surveillance soldiers, Liri Albag her life. Goren recounts portions of Soussana's chilling interview.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
As Netanyahu arrives in Washington, Trump says talks on Middle East ‘progressing’
Witkoff to freed IDF soldiers: We have a common goal to bring everybody home
Hamas captors said to have tormented Yarden Bibas with incessant talk of wife, kids
Cages, starvation and fasting on Yom Kippur: More testimonies from freed hostages emerge
Keith Siegel forced to write thank-you letter to Hamas captors ahead of release
Ex-hostage says Liri Albag saved her life as Hamas captors tortured, threatened her
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: Israelis protest for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. (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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Israeli military on Saturday carried out three drone strikes on terror operatives in the northern West Bank. The strikes came as the Israel Defense Forces expanded an ongoing counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, now in its 13th day. What has been the scope of the operation so far?
On Friday, IDF troops operating in a buffer zone in southern Syria came under fire in the first such incident since Israeli forces deployed to the buffer zone on the border between Israel and Syria. The IDF said soldiers returned fire toward the source of the shooting. Who was shooting at the IDF soldiers?
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry director general, was tapped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday to become the next chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. We learn about a previous case in which a reserves officer is pulled back into the army to head it and what Zamir may bring to the role.
The Israel-Egypt border has been largely peaceful since the two countries signed a peace agreement in 1979, Israel’s first with an Arab state. Increasingly in addition to drug smuggling, the IDF border forces are attempting to prevent weapons smuggling as well. Fabian was there a few weeks ago and reports back.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday threatened the released Palestinian prisoner and former terror chief Zakaria Zubeidi, two days after Zubeidi was freed as part of the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Why was this terrorist mastermind singled out?
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
IDF carries out 3 drone strikes in Jenin area; Palestinians say 4 dead, including teen
IDF troops operating in Syria buffer zone come under fire in 1st such incident
Eyal Zamir named next IDF chief, set to take over from Herzi Halevi in March
On Egypt border, senior IDF officer warns quietest ‘front’ has potential to erupt
Defense minister warns freed terrorist Zubeidi: ‘One mistake and you’ll meet old friends’
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 West Bank city of Jenin on January 31, 2025, in this handout photo. (IDF)
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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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Three Israeli hostages were freed from Hamas captivity today and returned to their families in Israel: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel. Horovitz compares today's two release "ceremonies" with the bedlam experienced on Thursday. We also learn how Hamas symbolically reminded onlookers of the horrors of October 7, 2023.
As we are increasingly hearing details of how those who are now released were treated in captivity, the mother of freed hostage Emily Damari revealed Friday that her daughter was held by Hamas at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip, and that her captors refused to give her access to medical treatment. Horovitz weighs in on how seriously the world will listen to the freed hostages.
Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, shortly after three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 were released by the terror group in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian authorities, 18 of the prisoners were serving life sentences. Alongside the return of their brothers in arms, what else are Hamas's aims in the release of these terror masterminds?
Twelve more living hostages are meant to be freed in the coming weeks of phase one. Later this week, negotiations are supposed to begin in earnest on phase two of the accord. How does Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington, DC, further Israel's goals?
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Hostages Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon freed after 484 days in Hamas captivity
Tears, cheers and tight embraces as 3 released hostages reunited with relatives
As Yarden Bibas is released, relief, dread, and evidence that Hamas is reviving
Emily Damari’s mom: My daughter was held in UNRWA facilities, denied medical treatment
Hostages’ stories: Gadi Mozes paced 7km a day in tiny cell, soldiers rationed grains of rice
183 Palestinian security prisoners released after Hamas sets free 3 civilian hostages
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: Yarden Bibas is seen on an IDF helicopter on his way to a hospital in central Israel on February 1, 2025 (Israel Defense Force)
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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.
Reporter Amy Spiro joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
With the release home of hostage and surveillance soldier Agam Berger, followed by the terrifying mayhem surrounding the release of hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes and the five Thai hostages, Spiro discusses Israel's delay of the release of Palestinian prisoners, and its demand to Hamas to guarantee safe passage in the release of future hostages.
Spiro reviews what is known about the release of the Thai hostages, Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao, and Surasak Lamnau, and reactions from the Thai Embassy.
US President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was in Israel yesterday, meeting with some of the released hostages and in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square and Spiro discusses his central role in the ongoing ceasefire and his meetings with some of the more right-wing partners of the coalition government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling to the US next week to meet with Trump, amid the ceasefire talks, and Spiro talks about expectations for those negotiations.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
‘We’ll never leave you again’: Families meet freed hostages after 15 months of agony
Furious over ‘shocking scenes’ of hostage handover, Israel delays release of prisoners
Surveillance soldiers all finally home: Agam Berger’s return closes one horrific Oct. 7 chapter
In Thailand, families of hostages weep with joy upon news of their release from Gaza
Working through the trauma, Thai farmhands who survived Oct. 7 return to the fields
Zakaria Zubeidi among terrorists to get heroes’ welcome as Israel frees 110 prisoners
Witkoff meets freed soldiers, ex-hostages, officials, stresses commitment to full deal
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: Arbel Yehoud, center, with her parents and siblings on an IDF helicopter after being freed from captivity on January 30, 2025. (Courtesy)
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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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
This morning, 8 hostages — 3 Israeli and 5 Thai — returned to Israel from Gaza where they were taken by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7, 2023.
Agam Berger, 20, the final surveillance officer among seven young women taken hostage on October 7 was released from the northern Gaza Strip in a staged ceremony this morning. Fabian debriefs us on what we know about her health and describes the situation in the northern part of the Strip as the IDF allows residents to return there.
Just before 1 pm, two other Israeli civilians were released from within a seething mob in Khan Younis: 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and her fellow kibbutznik Gadi Moshe Mozes, who is 80. Fabian describes the utter chaos of their releases, along with five Thai nations who were freed in a separately mediated deal.
We look ahead to Saturday's release of three further hostages and who may -- or may not -- be on the list, as well as future pullbacks by the IDF.
And finally, we hear about what is happening along Israel's northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, 5 Thais, freed amid mayhem in Khan Younis; Agam Berger released
IDF reveals it killed Hamas terrorist seen dragging Naama Levy to captivity on Oct. 7
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: Gadi Moses, 80, center right, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as he is handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Magid takes a look at President Donald Trump's first week in office, including Trump's controversial comments regarding Gazans and where they could be moved, even temporarily during the reconstruction of parts of Gaza, and how Egypt and Jordan view the influx of Palestinians as a security threat.
He also discusses Steve Witkoff's role in hostage negotiations and his seemingly personal connection to the families of released hostages, as Witkoff touches down in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Saudi Arabia.
Magid shares insights from his interview with Barbara Leaf, a top Middle East diplomat from the Biden administration as they explored the ongoing challenges in Gaza post-war. Leaf expressed regret over the lack of a post-war plan for Gaza, and commented that recent developments in Syria and Lebanon could positively impact regional stability.
Finally, Magid looks at the Trump administration's claims about foreign aid spending during the Biden years, including a humorous controversy regarding US foreign aid for supposed condom distribution in Gaza.
This conversation can also be viewed here:
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Trump says ‘would be nice’ to solve Iranian nuclear crisis without Israeli strikes
Trump doubles down on proposal to move Gazans; insists Egypt and Jordan will agree
‘We averted much worse’: Biden’s top Mideast diplomat looks back on tumultuous term
Trump invites Netanyahu to visit White House; PM’s office says meeting set for Feb. 4
White House: Biden allotted $50m for Gaza condoms; ex-official denies ‘feverish dream’
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: At the entrance to a Tel Aviv conference entitled 'Opportunities for Israel under Trump,' in Tel Aviv. January 28, 2025. (Photo by Tomer Neuberg/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.
Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Sharon was in court yesterday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed his testimony in his corruption trial. We hear whether the premier seems in good health following his prostate surgery even as his hearing was canceled today and tomorrow over a judge's illness.
We learn that an angry Netanyahu alleged that key aspects of the case against him rested on testimony that had been illegitimately obtained from witnesses such as former aides Nir Hefetz, Ari Harrow, and Shlomo Filber and that aspects of the indictment against him are factually inaccurate.
After an unprecedented 16 months without a permanent Supreme Court president and in the face of unrelenting opposition from Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Justice Isaac Amit was elected head of Israel’s top court on Sunday night in a court-forced vote by the Judicial Selection Committee.
Sharon delves into the tricky situation in which Levin, together with the other coalition representatives in the committee, Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, boycotted the hearing in protest of the decision by the Supreme Court — sitting as the High Court of Justice — to order him to hold a vote in the committee.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Netanyahu aiming to meet Trump at White House next week in first visit by foreign leader
Netanyahu accuses police of extorting ‘false testimony’ from state witnesses
Isaac Amit finally elected Supreme Court president; Levin pledges to boycott him
Israel finally gets a permanent Supreme Court president; what does he stand for?
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: Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, December 4, 2024. )Chaim Goldbergl/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.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider and reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Israel allows thousands of Gazans to return to the north of the Strip, as per the hostage-ceasefire deal, following confirmation that hostages Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and a third hostage would be released this week on Thursday, while three more hostages, all men, will be released on Saturday, Schneider notes.
She also reviews the latest regarding the Hezbollah ceasefire, which is being extended until February 18, during which time the Lebanese army is supposed to to deploy to the eastern part of southern Lebanon, close to Syria and the Golan Heights, and stabilize what is currently seen as a fragile ceasefire.
Schneider describes a recent visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border, one of the kibbutzim hardest hit by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, where only half a dozen homes were left standing. IDF forces never reached Nir Oz on that day, and neither have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or many other ministers in the ensuing 15 months.
Surkes talks about how some veteran Israeli aid workers are caught between considering the humanitarian needs of war-torn Gaza, which they haven't been able to enter since the war began, and mourning communities and individuals victimized by the brutal Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023, which started the war.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Thousands of Gazans gather on coastal road as IDF blocks access to Strip’s north
Israel: Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, 3rd hostage to be freed Thursday; 3 more on Saturday
Israel and Lebanon extend truce, with IDF troop withdrawal deadline moved to Feb. 18
22 killed in south Lebanon as IDF fires on suspects trying to break through to villages
Israel fiddled while Nir Oz burned, but the kibbutz will rise again
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: Displaced Palestinians make their way back to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on January 27, 2025. (Photo by Ali Hassan/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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and reporter Amy Spiro joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, the four female soldiers held hostage in Gaza for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag — were reunited with their loved ones, embracing them with smiles and tears after their release from captivity. Today, we concentrate on the Hamas violation of the ceasefire deal due to the failure to free civilian hostage Arbel Yehud and Israel’s consequent decision to pause its pulling out from part of the Netzarim Corridor — even as thousands of Palestinians gather on the coastal road in central Gaza, waiting to return to the Strip’s north.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he’d like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip — potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area and create a virtual clean slate. We discuss the feasibility of this idea, as well as the Palestinian security prisoners who were deported to Egypt yesterday.
The initial 60-day truce in Lebanon has run out this morning and the Lebanese army is calling on its civilians to “exercise self-restraint” and follow instructions as people attempt to return to villages in south Lebanon, despite the IDF presence there. We learn which parts of southern Lebanon the IDF still holds and what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declared intentions are, and hear updates about the IDF’s presence in the Syrian buffer zone.
And finally, we end with the bittersweet win of Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival, who was voted in last week as Israel’s contestant at the 2025 Eurovision in Switzerland in May.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
‘Unfazed’: Freed hostages say they knew they had to project strength at Hamas handover
Israel bars Palestinians from returning to north Gaza in row over hostage Arbel Yehud
Trump proposes Jordan, Egypt take in Gazans so decimated Strip can be ‘cleaned out’
IDF warns Lebanese against return to border villages as it prepares to extend stay
Israel won’t complete full withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday deadline, PM says
Yuval Raphael, survivor of Nova massacre, to represent Israel at 2025 Eurovision
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: Lebanese women hold portraits of of slain Hezbollah leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, as they check the destruction in their village Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, January 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's special update.
This morning, four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag — were released by the terror group after being paraded through a Gaza City square and made to participate in a demeaning ceremony before being handed over to the Red Cross.
Hamas "gift bags" in hand, the four young women returned to Israel and were reunited with their families at the IDF base near Re'im, mere kilometers from the Gaza border.
Fabian reminds listeners of Hamas's murderous October 7, 2023, takeover of the Nahal Oz IDF base that saw 66 soldiers murdered and seven female surveillance officers taken prisoner.
We hear what we currently know about the physical health of the four released today and details from the handover.
Fabian also updates us on Israel's response to Hamas's overt violation of the ceasefire-hostage release deal which should have seen female civilian Arbel Yehud -- and any other living female civilian and children -- released ahead of the female soldiers.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.Discussed articles include:
4 female soldier hostages freed by Hamas, paraded on Gaza stage, returned to Israel
Israel blocks Palestinians from returning to north Gaza after Hamas breaks truce terms
Bibas family: ‘World came crashing down’ when Shiri, kids weren’t slated for release
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: A Palestinian woman throws confetti as Hamas fighters prepare to hand over four Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team from a stage at a square in Gaza City on January 25, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / 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.
Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, a special Friday Focus on the painful issue of the release of Palestinian security prisoners as part of the hostage release-ceasefire deal.
Tomorrow, another four hostages are set to be released from Gaza -- presumably women and presumably alive. Alongside the Israelis' release, however, up to 200 Palestinian prisoners could also be released, according to the current formula of 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian and 50 for every female soldier.
Rettig Gur takes on this complicated and emotional subject through looking at the history of terrorist hostage-taking and previous so-called exchanges of the abductees and Palestinian prisoners -- including those who were serving multiple life sentences.
We speak about the most memorable exchange of prisoners, which came in 2011 when captured soldier Gilad Shalit was released from Gaza as 1,027 security prisoners were freed from Israeli prisons. However, Rettig Gur postulates that the blueprint for that abduction came much earlier.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Convicted terrorists to be released are ‘an open wound’ for victims’ families
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: Palestinians celebrate the release of some 90 prisoners set free by Israel in the early hours of January 20, 2025 upon their arrival aboard a Red Cross bus in the Palestinian West Bank town of Beitunia, on the outskirts of Ramallah. (Zain JAAFAR / 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.
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Horovitz reviews the fraught, ongoing process of the hostage releases, both those that took place last Sunday and the four living women expected to be released on Saturday. He comments on how every day carries a new twist in the ceasefire and hostage exchange, and the terrifying moment of transfer in Gaza City, last Sunday.
He also talks about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the ceasefire, how and why it finally came about, the cooperation between the Trump and Biden administrations, the weakened Hezbollah and positioning of Hamas, along with the fact that it's not an easy deal for Israel, but it will save hostages' lives.
Discussion of phase two of the deal has also begun, as hostage families plea for their loved ones' lives. Horovitz discusses some of the politics that will enter that part of the process, and how that could affect the stability of Netanyahu's political coalition and what he might do about that.
Horovitz talks about the likelihood of the Palestinian Authority taking some portion of control over Gaza, and the tremendous amount of nuance involved in any discussion of that possibility.
Finally, he talks about the resignation of IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, due to take effect in March, and what it has meant to have Halevi take responsibility for the failures that led to October 7, as well as why many Israelis still feel loyal to him.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Top officials said already gearing up for 2nd phase hostage talks, ahead of schedule
Israel said to tell Hamas it expects Arbel Yehud to be among next freed hostages
Farewell Herzi Halevi, uniformed embodiment of our national tragedy, leader of the fightback
IDF chief Halevi’s resignation letter: Oct. 7 failure will stay with me for rest of my life
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: Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of Idan Alexander who is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, holds a sign as she stands outside the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, January 23, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Four people were wounded yesterday evening by a terrorist who went on a stabbing spree in a trendy Tel Aviv neighborhood, emergency services and Israel Police said, before he was shot dead. An off-duty IDF tank officer who had lost a hand during fighting in the Gaza Strip was among those who attempted to neutralize the terrorist. Fabian tells us more.
Yesterday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and the head of the IDF Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman both announced their resignations, 15 months into the war sparked by Hamas’s attack and two days after a ceasefire and hostage release deal with the terror group in the Gaza Strip went into effect. Why now and who is in the running to replace the pair?
Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces launched a major counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday afternoon, which military sources said was expected to last several days. We learn about the aims of the operation and the coordination with the Palestinian Authority.
Dozens of extremist settlers conducted an attack on two West Bank Palestinian villages on Monday night in which IDF troops also came under attack. Sharon explains that this is just one of a series of attacks and delves into who these extremist Israelis are.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Off-duty officer who lost hand in Gaza helped chase down terrorist in Tel Aviv attack
US green card holder, a Moroccan national, wounds 4 in Tel Aviv terror stabbing spree
IDF reservist killed, senior officer seriously hurt by roadside bomb in West Bank
Taking responsibility for Oct. 7 failures, IDF chief and head of Southern Command resign
IDF launches major counterterror raid in West Bank’s Jenin, expected to last days
IDF: Dozens of settler extremists involved in Monday night riots, troops also attacked
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 soldiers stand guard as Israeli Jewish settlers tour the old market in the city of Hebron in the West Bank on December 28, 2024. (HAZEM BADER / 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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Magid reviews the leadup to President Donald Trump's inauguration into office as the 47th president of the United States, including the President-elect's role in the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal that began with the release of three female hostages on Sunday. Magid points out that reaching the second phase of the deal may be more difficult, given the pressures on Netanyahu's coalition government, and the prime minister's desire to remain fighting Hamas in Gaza.
Magid also looks at Trump and Netanyahu's various supporters, and who has sway over the two leaders in their decision-making process.
Magid discusses Trump's comments during the inauguration rally, as he invited hostage families and former hostage Noa Argamani on stage, but made a point about releasing the January 6, 2021 "hostages," not referring to the hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza.
After the inauguration and rally, says Magid, Trump signed a number of orders, including undoing the Biden sanctions against violent Israeli settlers, revoking the Biden order that removed Trump's 2020 sanctions on the International Criminal Court and ordering a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance.
Finally, Magid discusses Trump's casual comment regarding the Gaza ceasefire and that it may not hold, remarking that the war in Gaza is "their war, not our war," perhaps as a way for Trump to distance himself from the region and situation.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Trump looks to ride on success of hostage deal as he readies to take oath of office
On day one, Trump rolls back Biden sanctions regime targeting violent Israeli settlers
Trump orders 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, likely impacting Palestinians
Trump revokes Biden order that removed his 2020 sanctions on the ICC
Trump believes Israeli-Saudi normalization can be reached ‘soon’
Trump says not confident Gaza deal will hold through all three phases
‘I thought I’d die in Gaza’: First testimonies from freed hostages released
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: President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance and first lady Melania Trump greet families of hostages held in Gaza, during an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and political reporter Tal Schneider join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday evening, three Hamas hostages were returned to Israeli soil as part of the hostage release-ceasefire agreement that went into effect at 11:15 yesterday morning. We learn how Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released, what we know currently of their conditions and how they were received in Israel.
Israel released 90 Palestinian security prisoners early Monday morning, hours after Hamas released the three civilian hostages on the first day of a ceasefire with the terror group in the Gaza Strip. These inmates included terror convicts but reportedly none convicted of murder. Where were they taken and how were they greeted?
We hear a quick update on the status of the truce that is still holding in southern Lebanon -- and that is meant to expire on Sunday.
Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party quit the coalition on Sunday morning, following through on its threat to exit if the government agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Schneider discusses the new alignment of power in the coalition and goes through several potential scenarios.
At the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, today, part of the festivities will be led by Yeshiva University head Rabbi Ari Berman, who will deliver a benediction. We hear what else Israeli or Jewish may be in store.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 471 days
Beaming, laughing, weeping, 3 freed hostages finally reunite with loved ones
Israel frees 90 Palestinian security prisoners, who are welcomed with Hamas flags
Otzma Yehudit exits coalition over Gaza deal, blasting it as ‘victory for terrorism’
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: Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on January 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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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.
Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The ceasefire between Israel and the terror groups led by Hamas in the Gaza Strip came into effect at 11:15 am after Hamas finally submitted the names of the three hostages set to be released this evening, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. Fabian discusses what preparations are being made to receive the women.
The body of soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was killed and captured by Hamas in 2014, was returned to Israel recently. We hear what we know about the military operation that finally closed one family’s saga, even as Israelis await dozens more hostages.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Hours before Gaza ceasefire set to start, PM stresses right to resume war after ‘pause’
With doctors and therapists: Army completes preparations to receive hostages
High Court rejects bereaved families’ petition against release of terrorists
Body of soldier Oron Shaul, killed and captured by Hamas in 2014, recovered from Gaza
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: Armed Hamas operatives parade in southern Gaza's Rafah after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect on January 19, 2025 (Screen grab/Al-Jazeera)
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- Näytä enemmän
