Episodes
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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 correspondent Jeremy Sharon and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Sharon discusses the landmark decision by the High Court Tuesday determining that ultra-Orthodox men are obligated to perform military service, and the immediate draft of 3,000 yeshiva students starting July 1, as he looks at the legal issues that led to the decision.
He also talks about the new report by the United Nations-linked Integrated Food Security Phase Classification organization, showing that there is no famine in Gaza, despite previous predictions to the contrary.
Surkes explains the latest concerns about Israelâs power grid and its susceptibility to a possible attack by Hezbollah, with Israel's electricity companies taking a more urgent look at what can be done to offset an all-out blackout in case of war.
She also mentions a high-tech, AI-powered 'weed wacker,' designed to bypass pricey human labor for crops and agricultural fields.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
After court ruling, AG tells IDF to immediately start drafting 3,000 Haredi students
In historic ruling, High Court says government must draft Haredi men into IDF
Key food security org finds no famine in Gaza, says previous assumptions wrong
As war with Hezbollah looms, concerns over vulnerability of power grid generate unease
Confab shows off startups, from AI-driven weeders and tree tubes to alternative fats
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.
IMAGE: An Israeli soldier and ultra-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall on June 25, 2024. (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.
Political correspondent Sam Sokol and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Sokol discusses what led to the fierce debate in the Knesset Monday, after a commission that was looking into earlier defense purchases, sent letters of inquiry to several officials, including Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu. Opposition leader Yair Lapid used the opportunity to attack the prime minister in his faction's weekly meeting, joined by New Hope party leader Gideon Sa'ar as the prime minister defended his actions.
Sokol notes that the debate concluded with a first vote on legislation regarding extending reservists' age while legislation is still pending regarding lowering the ages of exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
Pacchiani talks about an interview with Palestinian laborers who have been mostly out of work for the last eight months, part of the work force of some 200,000 people who work mostly in construction and agriculture. He says it appears to be more of a political decision to push the Palestinian Authority toward bankruptcy, along with higher unemployment.
He also mentions press reports about a "fishy" organized foreign press tour of the Beirut airport, as the Lebanese government attempted to prove they're not hiding weapons imported from Iran.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
âSubmarine affairâ inquiry finds Netanyahuâs decisions compromised national security
Knesset to vote this week on bill extending retirement age for IDF reservists
West Bank Palestinian laborers in despair after eight months without jobs in Israel
Reporters denied access to Beirut airport area where weapons suspected to be stored
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.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a debate in the Knesset on June 24, 2024 (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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Berman discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first Hebrew-language media interview since October 7 on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 network, in which the prime minister spoke about the end of intense fighting in Gaza, his willingness to agree to a partial hostage deal, while insisting that battles would continue.
He also speaks about Netanyahu's comments regarding the north and the prime minister's hopes for a diplomatic solution, as well as how the prime minister deftly pointed fingers at his opponents in the government in order to firmly position himself as the country's ultimate leader.
Berman turns to the Biden administration and its ongoing spat with Netanyahu over what the prime minister's claims regarding a slowdown in shipments of US arms. Berman suggests the low-level disagreement may all be about politics as the prime minister does not want Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, currently visiting in DC, to lay claim on any diplomatic successes during his visit.
Berman concludes with a look at the terror attack in two communities in Russia's Dagestan, bordering Azerbaijan, a mostly Moslem region that has experienced Moslem Jihadist terrorism in the past and was the focal point of a near-pogrom after October 7, when locals attempted to target Israeli passengers on a flight.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
PM says open to partial pause and hostage deal but war wonât end until Hamas destroyed
EUâs Borrell warns war in Middle East on the brink of expanding
Netanyahu says US arms supplies fell away 4 months ago; he went public as last resort
US hasnât withheld weapons for Israel, but itâs done fast-tracking them â official
Over 15 Russian cops, civilians killed in attacks on synagogues, churches in Dagestan
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.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Channel 14 in the first interview he's given to an Israeli news outlet since October 7, on June 23, 2024. (Screenshot, Channel 14, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
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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.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington this morning for a meeting that he calls âcritical for the future of the war.â What are the main goals?
The IDF confirmed that it shot down an apparent Hezbollah drone over the Lower Galilee. It was shot down by air defenses in an area that houses a major factory belonging to the Rafael defense contractor. Also overnight, Israeli fighter jets shot down a drone heading toward Israel from the eastern direction. The announcement comes after the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched a drone at Israelâs southernmost city of Eilat early this morning.
On Saturday, the IDF struck several targets, including a Hamas military site in Gaza Cityâs Shati neighborhood. Reports in Hebrew and Arabic media said the Shati attack targeted senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, head of Hamas operations. We hear who he is and the status of the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Also on Saturday, Israel said it had killed a top Hamas operative in Lebanon, Ayman Ghatma, who was responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas in Lebanon as well as to the al-Jamaâa al-Islamiyya terror group. We hear about the tangled Lebanon-based overlap between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
An Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar, 67, of Petah Tikva was shot in his vehicle by unknown gunmen in the West Bank city of Qalqilya on Saturday and later died of his wounds. Fabian describes the incident, which is being labeled as a terror attack, and puts it into context with other recent conflicts in the area.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Heading to US, Gallant says meetings âcritical for the future of the warâ
Israeli strike said to target Hamas operations chief Raad Saad in Gaza; unclear if he died
IDF kills top Hamas man in Lebanon; US said to promise Israel full support if war erupts
Israeli man shot and killed in his car in West Bankâs Qalqilya in apparent terror
IDF says it is investigating soldiers who tied Palestinian detainee to hood of car
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 Defense Forces operating in Gaza, June 22, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
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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.
In this special episode, host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with news editor Amy Spiro, who heads up our Those We Have Lost project.
Since a few days after the October 7 murderous Hamas onslaught on southern Israel that massacred some 1,200 people -- mostly civilians -- and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza, Spiro has worked to memorialize the slain individuals by bringing their stories to the English-speaking world.
Spiro imbues each post with the individual's character and life from publically available information, including funeral eulogies, social media posts, and memorial websites.
In this episode, Spiro and Borschel-Dan share the stories of eight of the fallen, including lone soldiers, a newly pregnant couple, a beloved grandmother and a Thai worker who never got to meet his child.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Staff Sgt. Shlomo Reshetnikov, 20: Lone soldier from Russia
Raz Mizrahi, 21: Wounded in 2021 attack, recovered and slain at party
Keshet Casarotti-Kalfa, 21: Pirate-loving partygoer âa ball of lightâ
Sgt. David Mittelman, 20: Ex-Haredi who hovered between worlds
Yehudit Itzchaki, 76: Doting grandma, child of Holocaust survivors
Lidor Levi and Nitzan Rahoum, 28: Slain couple were expecting first baby
Nitikorn Sae Wang, 26: Thai worker who never got to meet his son
Staff Sgt. Yonatan Chaim, 25: Lone soldier who converted, made aliyah
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.
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Family and friends of Israeli soldier Sergeant Almog Shalom attend his funeral at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on June 11, 2024. (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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Magid discusses the latest visit to the US by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, amid the current kerfuffle between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US administration.
Dermer and Hanegbi were meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken , and "received an earful" from US officials regarding the video that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made earlier in the week with accusations about the delay of US arms shipments to Israel.
Magid discusses whether Netanyahu is making comments now because Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is going to DC next week and perhaps doesn't want him receiving the credit for solving any issues regarding arms during his trip.
Magid also talks about the ongoing US consideration to set sanctions against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, given his longtime efforst to withhold funds from the Palestinian Authority, thereby destabilizing the Palestinian government.
Magid also looks at the possibility of US sanctions against the far-right Tzav 9 group, which has organized efforts to halt and wreak havoc with US aid convoys making their way into Gaza.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
US hosts PMâs aides amid concern full-on war with Hezbollah would overwhelm Iron Dome
US vexed, disappointed by Netanyahu claim of arms holdup: âNo one has done more for himâ
US sanctions far-right Israeli group behind attacks on aid convoys bound for Gaza
Is the US poised to sanction an Israeli minister for the 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: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message issued June 19, 2024. (Screenshot/GPO)
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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 in the Jerusalem offices for today's episode.
Facing a growing number of high-profile spats involving members of his coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Wednesday for his political partners to âget a gripâ and abandon âpetty politics.â Horovitz unwinds the insults and accusations that were thrown about yesterday and assesses the stability of the coalition even as some members of Likud are showing signs of discontent.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Channel 13 last night, âThis business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear â itâs simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public.â Horovitz discusses how Israel's internal political strife may be affecting its prosecution of the war.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that US officials estimate that of the 116 hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza, just 50 are still alive. The assessment is based on a combination of Israeli and US intelligence and puts the number of deceased hostages at 66, a far higher number than Israel has publicly confirmed. As hostage negotiation talks seem to be at a stalemate, Horovitz speaks to the international pressure being placed on Hamas and why it's likely not enough.
Last night the head of Lebanonâs Hezbollah terror group Hasan Nasrallah commented on the escalating conflict with the Jewish state, and said the Shiite terror group does not want âtotal war,â is only acting in support of Hamas, but in the case of full-blown war, âThe enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst⊠and that no place⊠will be spared from our rockets.â Why this announcement right now?
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
As war winds down, diplomacy is paramount, but Netanyahu has other priorities
Amid multiplying spats, Netanyahu urges coalition partners to âget a gripâ
IDF spokesman says Hamas canât be destroyed, drawing retort from PM: âThatâs warâs goalâ
Nasrallah says âno placeâ in Israel would be safe in war, threatens to target Cyprus
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: Economy Minister Nir Barkat attends a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem on May 29, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/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.
Fabian is just back from the Yabna neighborhood of Rafah in the Gaza Strip where he was embedded with troops from the Givati Infantry Brigade. We hear what he saw and then dive into the current status of fighting in the Strip.
Just after Hezbollah brazenly published aerial drone footage of Israel yesterday, top IDF generals approved plans for war in Lebanon. What do we know about the plans and what is happening along the border now?
Annual Israeli arms sales reached a new record in 2023, for the third consecutive year, amounting to nearly double the value of exports compared to five years ago, according to Defense Ministry figures released Monday. How can war-time Israel be exporting so many arms?
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israelâs ongoing live blog.Discussed articles include:
In Rafah, IDF focuses on tunnels, with aim of destroying Hamas brigade within a month
IDF says half of Hamasâs forces in Rafah dismantled, at least 550 gunmen killed
Top Israeli generals approve Lebanon offensive battle plans, army says
In open threat, Hezbollah publishes drone footage of sites in northern Israel
IDF kills Hezbollah rocket specialist amid rare 3-day lull in terror groupâs fire
Israeli arms sales break record for 3rd year in row, reaching $13 billion in 2023
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 IDF's Givati Brigade operate in the Yabna camp of southern Gaza's Rafah, June 18, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
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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 reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
After last weekâs 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 âBlue Lineâ 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 IDFâs 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 Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Top Biden aide in Israel to try to head off war with Hezbollah
Gantz tells visiting US envoy âtime is running outâ for deal to calm northern border
Dozens of hostages are alive âwith certaintyâ â top Israeli negotiator
Netanyahu officially disbands war cabinet after Gantzâs 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)
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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 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 Israelâs ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Far-right ministers blast âdelusionalâ daily pauses in fighting to secure Gaza aid
Knesset revives bill expanding Chief Rabbinateâs influence over local authorities
Government backs new extension to IDF reservistsâ 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)
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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 deaths of 11 soldiers were announced over the past day. We begin with the group of 8 who were killed in Rafah in the IDFâs 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 Brigadeâs 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 Israelâs 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)
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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 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 âthe list of shameâ 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 Israelâs actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of âextermination.â
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 âextermination,â crimes against humanity; Hamas of war crimes
UN publishes report with IDF, Hamas, PIJ added to âlist of shameâ 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)
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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 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 doesnât 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 Israelâs 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 Blinkenâs 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 âto moveâ 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 Fatahâs
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)
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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 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 Israelâs actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of âextermination.â 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 âmost seniorâ 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 ânot workableâ
UN reports accuse Israel of âextermination,â 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)
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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 250 of the war with Hamas. Political psychologist Nimrod Nir joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's special episode.
Since mere days after the October 7 Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, in which some 1,200 were killed, mostly civilians, and 250 taken hostage to Gaza, Nir has been consistently taking the temperature of Israelisâ feelings about the ensuing war. Working with a massive pool of some 5,000 people, Nimrod has collected vast amounts of data and published some of it in a War Omnibus.
Nir is a fellow at The Hebrew Universityâs Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and also the CEO of Agam Labs, a multi-disciplinary research facility that aims to aid decision-makers in understanding the Israeli psyche.
The findings from the past eight months of war include how people view the zero-sum equation of hostages or war, how conspiracy theories affect public opinion and whether or not the Israeli people will be âtogetherâ in victory.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
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: Nimrod Nir, a fellow at The Hebrew Universityâs Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the CEO of Agam Labs, a multi-disciplinary research facility. (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.
It is day 249 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Schneider discusses latest regarding hostage deal, including Channel 12 release of details regarding permanent ceasefire, countering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing statements about not ending the war. She also speaks about the US proposal for a hostage deal for captives with US citizenship, and what could be discussed regarding that possibility with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Israel Tuesday.
Schneider then looks at discussions in the Knesset on Monday, following Knesset member Benny Gantz's resignation from the coalition and war cabinet, and how that could affect the rest of the Netanyahu coalition.
She speaks about the vote and Knesset approval to revive an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill that would lower the current age of exemption from service for Haredi yeshiva students from 26 to 21. The only coalition member to vote against the bill was Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a brave political move for him, says Schneider, but unclear how that will affect the bill or coalition going forward.
Steinberg mentions the Shavuot cookbook put together by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, with recipes and stories about hostages from their families and loved ones, as they move forward into another holiday.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Israelâs full offer said to provide for âpermanentâ truce before all hostages return
Blinken discusses hostage proposal, âday afterâ Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu
Knesset approves revival of ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill; Gallant votes against
Gantz quits war government, says PM preventing âtrue victoryâ over Hamas, urges elections
Hostagesâ families share favorite Shavuot recipes as they hold out hope for loved ones
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: Hostage families wait outside Tel Aviv's Kempinski Hotel on June 11, 2024 to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Credit Yael Gadot)
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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 248 of the war with Hamas. Zman Israel editor Biranit Goren and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Fabian fills us in on more details of the rescue operation that freed four Israelis â Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv -- including who held the latter three. What do we know about Palestinian journalist Abdallah Aljamal?
A cell of Hezbollah operatives launched anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli fighter jets over southern Lebanon on Sunday, the military said, amid intensifying cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Iran-backed terror organization. How serious was this threat?
Last night, National Unity head Benny Gantz quit the wartime coalition that he joined shortly after the launch of the war. Goren speaks about the reasons he gave for leaving and where that leaves the war cabinet.
The Knesset is set to vote today on whether to renew the legislative process of a controversial draft law first proposed in the previous Knesset. We learn about the background of this proposed law, what it includes -- and what it symbolizes.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
IDF: Hamas terrorist and journalist was holding 3 hostages in home alongside family
Freed hostage Andrey Kozlov reunites with family after rescue from Gaza
In first, Hezbollah tries to down fighter jets as border fighting further ratchets up
Gantz quits war government, says PM preventing âtrue victoryâ over Hamas, urges elections
Ben Gvirâs party resumes coalition support, demands more power on war issues
Knesset to vote on reviving Haredi IDF bill in bid to put off High Court intervention
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 Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz announces his resignation during a televised address in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on June 9, 2024. (Jack Guez / 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 247 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Israel celebrated yesterday after the IDF announced that it had rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv from eight months of Hamas captivity in Gaza. Horovitz shares his impressions of the mood of the country.
Protesters at rallies in Tel Aviv and across the country on Saturday night called for new elections and the return of the hostages held in captivity in Gaza. The protests at the same time as war cabinet minister Benny Gantz was meant to give a statement at the deadline of his self-imposed ultimatum of whether or not to stay in the government. We hear what may be some of Gantz's considerations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region starting tomorrow, even as Israel awaits Hamasâs response to the hostage deal proposal pushed by US President Joe Biden. Could the rescue operation reframe the negotiations in any way?
On Friday, Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were added to the United Nationsâ so-called âlist of shame,â which is attached to an annual report released by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterresâs office that documents alleged rights violations against children in armed conflict, sparking outrage in Jerusalem. Horovitz weighs in.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Rescue brings rare cause for Israeli joy, before hearts return to 116 hostages still held
Father of hostage Almog Meir Jan died hours before sonâs rescue: âHe died of griefâ
Protesters nationwide hail hostage rescue, urge deal to free the rest; 33 arrested
Israelis rejoice over news of successful mission to rescue 4 hostages from Gaza
Blinken to return to Israel next week, as US pushes Hamas to take hostage deal offer
Israel livid as itâs added to UN âlist of shameâ for wartime childrenâs rights violations
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: An Israel Air Force CH-53 Sea Stallion military helicopter flies over as people gather with Israeli national flags outside Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Centre in Ramat Gan on June 8, 2024, where Israeli hostages were transferred after being rescued from captivity in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attacks. (Jack Guez / 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 246 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
After eight months in captivity, four Israeli hostages -- Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 -- were rescued alive in a minutely planned IDF operation from Hamas captivity Saturday in a daring daylight operation in the central Gaza Strip. Fabian fills us in.
The IDF said Friday that they had carried out an airstrike on a Hamas command center that had been set up in a United Nations school in Gaza Cityâs Shati neighborhood, killing several members of the cell. The strike comes a day after the IDF hit another UN school in Gazaâs Nuseirat refugee camp, which was housing what it said was a compound used by dozens of terror operatives, 17 of which have so far been identified. Fabian discusses what we know about both strikes.
A drone launched from Lebanon impacted in an open area in the Jezreel Valley, near Nazareth, in northern Israel on Friday afternoon, in what is potentially the deepest drone strike during this conflict. Fabian describes why the use of drones is on the rise.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
IDF rescues 4 hostages from 8 monthsâ captivity in daytime operation in central Gaza
IDF says strike hit Hamas command room housed in container at Gaza City UN school
In apparent deepest attack of war, drone launched from Lebanon strikes near Nazareth
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: An image depicting Noa Argamani, one of four Israeli hostages rescued by the Israeli army, is held up as Israeli activists rally during an anti-government demonstration, calling for the return of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip following their kidnapping by Palestinian Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attacks, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, on June 8, 2024. (Jack Guez / 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 246 of the war with Hamas. Host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with archaeologist Prof. Jodi Magness for today's bonus episode from our What Matters Now weekly podcast series.
This Wednesday, Israel marked Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem following the 1967 Six-Day War.
But the capital has a rich and fascinating history of rulership changes since its foundation circa 1000 BCE.
Magness just published her latest book, "Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades," through Oxford University Press. She stopped by The Times of Israel's Jerusalem offices to speak about the ancient eternal city's rulerships and populations throughout the eras.
âJerusalem Through the Agesâ is a 700-page weighty tome that delves into the cityâs history through archaeological evidence and also texts, including the Bible and extra-biblical material such as the Egyptian Amarna Letters.
Magness is Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of 11 books, including "Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth," "Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus," and "The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls." From 2011 until 2023, Magness directed excavations at Huqoq in Israelâs Galilee and uncovered its breathtaking mosaics.
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: Prof. Jodi Magness in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on April 11, 2022. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/The Times of Israel)
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