The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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. The New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, a bonus reply of our weekly What Matters Now podcast. This week, campuses across North America opened their doors for their fall semester. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Stephens recently wrote a column called, “What I Want a University President to Say About Campus Protests,” in which he channels a university president presenting his foundational principles, including, “the spirit of inquiry.” In this week’s episode, we hear Stephens’s take on concepts that have evolved and flourished on campuses in the past several decades, including how critical theory has shifted faculties and the role of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). So this week, as students return to campuses, we ask Bret Stephens, what matters now? For news 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 and Adina Karpuj. IMAGE: New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens. (Jason Smith via JTA)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Vice President Kamala Harris was again heckled by an anti-Israel protester, this time during a rally in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday. The Democratic presidential nominee responded by stressing her support for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Berman describes this incident and points out a gaping omission in her stated support for Israel. The WHO and UN children’s fund UNICEF are hoping to provide oral vaccines against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) to more than 640,000 children in the Strip after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory. Berman updates on the partial pauses in fighting in the Strip. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday reportedly presented the security cabinet with a document he drew up in recent days urging a hostage-ceasefire deal and detailing the potentially dire consequences for Israel of a failure to finalize such an agreement. We discuss the domino effect that potentially could allow the 68,000 displaced people from the northern district from 43 settlements return home while still maintaining Israel's deterrence. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Harris says she won’t change US policy on arming Israel, stresses need for hostage deal Israel agrees to localized ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza for polio vaccination, WHO says Gallant said to warn ministers multi-front war dangerously close sans hostage deal Ministers vote to back PM’s stance in favor of IDF staying in Philadelphi Corridor Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Zev Levi. IMAGE: IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on August 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. The Israeli military has launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the wake of last week’s attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that is expected to last at least several days, military sources said yesterday. At the same time, top Hamas official Khaled Mashal in Turkey yesterday called for a resumption of suicide bombings. What is the Biden administration saying about the IDF's operation in the West Bank so far? The Biden administration issued its sixth batch of sanctions targeting Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, blacklisting a group that provides volunteer guards for illegal outposts and a civilian security guard for a flashpoint settlement who has allegedly engaged in attacks against Palestinians. Magid gives nuance to who was -- and what wasn't -- including in this batch of sanctions. After a summit of high-level hostage release negotiations that took place last weekend in Cairo, the result was an agreement to hold another round of lower-level talks this week in Doha. Magid spoke with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby who is an unapologetic optimist. We hear what he said. Last week, a five-year-old child accidentally broke a rare Bronze Age clay vessel on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, but ended up being invited back, along with his family, for a special tour of the museum. After a few days of staycation, Borschel-Dan can definitely identify with this family's plight. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: 11 Palestinians killed as IDF launches major anti-terror raid in West Bank Top Hamas official Mashaal urges resumption of suicide bombings against Israel ‘This is a war’: FM urges Gaza-style temporary evacuation of Palestinians in West Bank US issues new batch of sanctions targeting West Bank settlers amid rampant violence ‘We failed’: IDF finds it didn’t act sufficiently to prevent deadly settler rampage Unapologetic optimism: How US approaches its messaging around hostage negotiations Kid shatters 3,500-year-old jar in Haifa museum, gets invited back Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj. IMAGE: Troops of the Kfir Brigade's Haruv Reconnaissance Unit are seen operating in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, August 28, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Arab affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani and political reporter Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Pacchiani discusses the Bedouin background of rescued hostage Farhan al-Qadi, and the little known about his family, who didn't speak to the press over the last eleven months of his captivity, preferring their privacy and given concerns about how Hamas would treat a Bedouin hostage. He also speaks about his recent analysis of the Hamas propaganda machine, and the psychology behind their extensive advertising and public relations, which always aligns with one message. Sokol talks about the latest brouhaha with Transportation Minister Miri Regev who was tapped to handle the government's official October 7 ceremony but is seen as the wrong person for the job because of her political leanings. Sokol also expands on the interview he and founding ToI editor David Horovitz conducted with opposition leader Yair Lapid, and Lapid's thoughts about how and when the Netanyahu government will come to an end. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Better than a baby: ‘Surprise’ hostage rescue gives way to joy as family reunites In Rahat, a Bedouin community mourns its October 7 losses away from the public eye Terrorize Israelis while eliciting sympathy abroad: Inside Hamas’s propaganda strategy Huge alternative Oct. 7 memorial ceremony to be held in Tel Aviv; state event in Ofakim ‘He lost his soul’: Lapid sees ‘sacred cause’ in toppling Netanyahu’s government Lapid: Netanyahu was briefed on dangers ahead of Oct. 7, ignored ‘all red flags,’ must go 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: Rescued hostage Farhan al-Qadi at Beersheba's Soroka Hospital on August 27, 2024 (Courtesy Yossi Ifergan/GPO)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and political writer Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Fabian discusses the timing of Sunday's visit of Airforce General Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Israel, hours after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, that were mostly thwarted.  He mentions a military probe into the death of one Navy soldier and two injured soldiers on a Navy vessel, as a result of the Sunday Hezbollah rocket and drone attack. Fabian also speaks about the IDF drone strike in the West Bank that killed five people situated in a terror command room — including a Hamas member released by Israel in the November 2023 hostage-release deal. Schneider takes another look at National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the latest in his recent, incendiary statements regarding Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount, causing an ultra-Orthodox newspaper to call him out for his actions. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Top US general says risk of broader war ‘somewhat’ abated after Israel-Hezbollah clash Israeli Navy sailor killed, two hurt by interceptor missile amid Hezbollah attack Halevi: IDF working to return displaced northern residents ‘as quickly as possible’ IDF says it carried out drone strike on West Bank terror cell; 5 reported killed Haredi newspaper calls Ben Gvir ‘pyromaniac politician’ over Temple Mount remarks Ben Gvir says Jews can pray on Temple Mount; Netanyahu insists status quo unchanged 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: IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halev and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr, August 26, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Horovitz discusses the comments made by Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah in the wake of the extensive rocket attack against Israel early Sunday morning, in which Nasrallah claimed victory for the attack mostly thwarted by the IDF. He then looks at the latest in the ceasefire and hostage deal talks, currently ongoing in Cairo and Doha, with the US pressing hard for a deal. Horovitz also speaks about the latest comments made Monday morning by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir regarding the right for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, long seen as a flashpoint in local political and security tensions. Ben Gvir's statements feed into the letter recently sent by Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to Netanyahu and government ministers, regarding fears for Ben Gvir's actions on the Temple Mount and growing Jewish terror. He also delves more deeply into his interview last week with opposition leader Yair Lapid, who expressed optimism about Israel's future and what needs to be done going forward. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Nasrallah asserts Hezbollah attack was success, reserves right to strike again PM says strikes on Hezbollah ‘not end of story’ as allies warn against escalation No breakthroughs in Cairo talks as US says mediators pushing ‘feverishly’ for deal Defense minister says national security being sapped by Ben Gvir’s moves Shin Bet chief warns Netanyahu, ministers that Jewish terror endangering Israel ‘He lost his soul’: Lapid sees ‘sacred cause’ in toppling Netanyahu’s government 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: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, after his visit to the Temple Mount on August 13, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. According to the IDF, some 210 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s attack this morning. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while others struck Israel, causing damage and injuries. But also according to the IDF, potentially thousands of launchers were preemptively struck. Fabian gives us a timeline of events. US Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. What does his presence in the region signal? Five soldiers were killed during fighting against the Hamas terror group in the central Gaza Strip over the weekend. We hear about the deadly incidents and also learn about a lengthy tunnel attributed to Palestinian Islamic Jihad that was recently uncovered. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF hits Hezbollah launch sites in Lebanon to thwart major attack on central, north Israel IDF bracing for ‘significant week,’ as Hezbollah strike expected within days Top US general makes surprise trip to Middle East as threatened Iranian attack looms Travel chaos as Ben Gurion Airport briefly shut, foreign airlines nix flights IDF says soldier killed in Gaza yesterday, raising toll of op to 339 3 reservists killed in central Gaza fighting, bringing IDF’s weekend toll to 4 IDF reservist killed, others wounded by explosive device in Gaza City 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: In this combination of pictures created on August 25, 2024, photos taken from a position in northern Israel show Hezbollah UAVs being intercepted by the Israeli air force over northern Israel on August 25, 2024. (Jalaa Marey / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Those We Have Lost project coordinator Amy Spiro joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Today, we’re dedicating the daily podcast's time to stories of civilians and soldiers who have fallen since October 7. We’ve each chosen eight individuals to focus on and we’ll explain why they moved us. We also hear updates from Spiro on how many of the over 1,600 individuals who were killed on or after October 7 during this war with Hamas that we have been able to write memorials for. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Michal Zarbailov, 60: Daycare worker was on her way to Dead Sea Hava Ben Ami, 78: Walked to pre-state Israel by foot from Syria Kobi Shmaya, 47 & Sgt. Osher Shmaya, 19: Father & son slain together Sgt. 1st Class Shay Pizem, 23: Had only 2 weeks with his daughter Roland and Ronit Sultan, 68 & 55: Immigrant couple built kibbutz life Staff Sgt. Adi Baruch, 23: Boyfriend proposed to her at her funeral Bnayahu Bitton, 22: Musician who always had a guitar at hand Maj. Sagi Golan, 30: Killed 13 days before wedding to his boyfriend 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: Illustrative: Friends and family members mourn near graves of Israeli soldiers killed on October 7, at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on May 9, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and US bureau chief Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. US Vice President Kamala Harris just accepted the presidential nomination and she addressed the war in Gaza very directly and clearly in her speech from the podium. Magid reports from Chicago on this and other aspects of Jewish or Israeli interest, including the moving speech by Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, at the Democratic National Convention. Chances for an immediate breakthrough appear increasingly remote even as Israel sends a team headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, and including Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, head of the IDF General Staff Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate. Berman assesses the status of the talks and weighs in on the role the US has played in bringing them to this point. The bodies of the six hostages recovered by the IDF from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis this week all have signs of gunshot wounds, according to initial autopsy findings released Thursday. What does it potentially mean that Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Avraham Munder were killed by gunfire? Sgt. Ori Ashkenazi Nechemya, 19, was killed during fighting in southern Gaza on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces announced, as troops pressed on with operations across the Strip. Berman lays out where the fighting is currently, and where it may be going. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Israeli negotiators fly to Cairo amid deep disagreements over Philadelphi Corridor Bullet wounds in bodies of all 6 hostages from Gaza suggest they were killed by captors Soldier killed by anti-tank fire in Rafah, as IDF presses on with operations in Gaza Emhoff pledges to continue fighting against antisemitism ‘when I’m first gentleman’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yoel Sigel.  IMAGE: US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her husband US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff wave from the stage on the fourth and last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 22, 2024. (Charly Triballeau / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Four Israeli settlers, including one minor, were detained overnight by police over their suspected involvement in an attack on the Palestinian West Bank village of Jit last week. According to a joint statement issued by police and the Shin Bet, the four are suspected of terrorism against Palestinians in several incidents, including the attack on Jit. We explore how rare this accusation is. The army announced it was operating at “peak readiness” three weeks ago, following the dual assassinations in Teheran and Beirut, and was able to immediately pivot to try to avert any attack from Iran and Hezbollah. Fabian assesses whether this is still the case amid the continuing conflict along the northern border. More than 150 tunnels have been demolished along Gaza’s southern border, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Wednesday while speaking with soldiers at the Philadelphi Corridor, as the army said it destroyed some 30 terror sites and killed dozens of gunmen in airstrikes across the enclave over the past day. We hear what else is happening on the ground. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, in his last speech as head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, said Wednesday that he was responsible for not providing a warning ahead of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught. He also seemed to indicate that others who are responsible for the failure should likewise take responsibility and leave the IDF. But where would he stop? Amid a persistent manpower shortage caused by the ongoing war in Gaza, the defense establishment has started recalling to duty some 15,000 previously exempted reservists. We hear who is affected by this recall to reserves even as only seven ultra-Orthodox men report for duty yesterday -- and 70 in the past month -- amid riots. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Gallant: IDF razed 150 tunnels on Egypt-Gaza border, defeated Hamas’s Rafah Brigade Israeli hurt in rocket barrage on Golan; Fatah official tied to Iran killed in Sidon strike Outgoing IDF intel chief Haliva says he failed to warn of Oct. 7, urges state probe Amid troop shortage, IDF begins calling up 15,000 previously released reservists IDF: Only some 70 Haredi men have reported to induction centers since High Court ruling 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: A man stands in front of burnt cars, a day after an attack by Jewish settlers on the village of Jit near Nablus in the occupied West Bank that left a 23-year-old man dead and others with critical gunshot wounds, on August 16, 2024. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan from Chicago for today's episode. Talks to bring about a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners are “on the brink of collapsing,” according to a Politico report, citing two unnamed US officials and one unnamed Israeli official. Magid explains the significance of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's nixed audience with Qatar’s Emir Tamim Al-Thani after sitting down with top leaders in Israel and Egypt and weighs in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mixed messaging with the families of slain soldiers and Hamas hostages. The Democratic National Convention began Monday in Chicago. After his speech, US President Joe Biden made a statement regarding the hostage release negotiations in which he accused Hamas of “backing away” from a hostage deal with Israel that would halt the ongoing fighting in Gaza. We hear of the statement's strategic purpose, as well as disturbances during Biden's speech. The first two days of the convention spotlighted a number of well-known Jews. Magid highlights their speeches and discusses the Hostage Square exhibit set up near the convention center. Finally, we learn about what anti-Israel demonstrations have taken place so far -- and what may be on the horizon. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Blinken urges ‘maximum flexibility’ from Israel and Hamas in hostage-ceasefire talks Biden says Hamas ‘backing away’ from hostage-ceasefire deal, as Blinken heads to Egypt Israel activists erect ‘Hostage Square’ in Chicago on sidelines of Democratic convention Anti-Israel protests fail to overshadow first day of Democratic Party confab Pro-Palestinian demonstrators charge police line outside Israeli consulate in Chicago 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: Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention August 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. The Israel Defense Forces confirms that it has recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages during an overnight operation in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The hostages are Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78. Fabian debriefs us on what we know so far. An Israeli officer was killed and several others were wounded by a failed airstrike in southern Gaza on Monday morning, the military said, as troops pressed on with operations across the Strip. The soldier was named as Lt. Shahar Ben Nun, 21, a team commander in the Paratroopers Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Petah Tikva. We learn about the tragic technical failure and are updated on the number of soldiers killed in accidents and "friendly fire" during the war in Gaza. A noncommissioned officer in the IDF was killed and another soldier was seriously wounded in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in northern Israel on Monday morning. The slain NCO was named as Chief Warrant Officer Mahmood Amaria, 45, a tracker in the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade, from the northern Bedouin village of Ibtin. Fabian fills us in on the continued deadly tit-for-tat conflict along the northern border. The Hamas terror group on Monday claimed responsibility for an explosion in Tel Aviv the day before, saying it was a suicide bombing conducted as a joint operation with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and vowing further such attacks. Fabian explains what we know -- and don't -- about the incident. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF recovers bodies of 6 hostages from Gaza, including one previously presumed alive IDF officer killed in failed Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s Khan Younis Soldier killed, another seriously hurt in Hezbollah drone attack on Western Galilee IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons depots deep in Lebanon after deadly drone attack Hezbollah fires 75 rockets at Israel after IDF hits weapons depots in eastern Lebanon Police, Shin Bet said to believe Iran, Hezbollah may be behind failed Tel Aviv attack Hamas claims Tel Aviv blast as attempted suicide bombing, vows to carry out more 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: IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on August 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in our Jerusalem offices for today's episode. As Hamas again rejects the current hostage-release deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region to try to bridge gaps. Horovitz weighs in on where negotiations stand now and what is at stake with them in terms of the broader regional picture. He also compares the current process with the 2011 Gilad Schalit release deal. State Attorney Amit Aisman announced on Sunday that he will oversee an investigation into Thursday’s rioting by extremist settlers in the Palestinian village of Jit during which 23-year-old Rasheed Seda was killed and homes and vehicles were set ablaze. No suspects have been arrested yet over Jit yet, however, police detained two more Israeli settlers suspected of assaulting four Arab Israeli women, including a three-year-old, in the West Bank outpost of Givat Ronen earlier this month. Are these signs that official Israel is taking these incidents seriously? For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Hamas rejects US hostage-ceasefire proposal as PM said to warn chance for deal ‘not high’ A hostage deal that also averts regional war should be a no-brainer for Netanyahu. But… State Attorney Amit Aisman to oversee investigation into Jit settler rampage 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: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in Jerusalem, August 19, 2024. (Haim Zach/GPO)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that more than 50 tunnels discovered along the Philadelphi Corridor, along the Egypt-Gaza border area, have been demolished by combat engineers over the past week. Fabian drills down into the strategic importance of the corridor, one of the sticking points in the hostage negotiations currently being conducted in Cairo. Two Israeli reservists were killed by a roadside bomb in central Gaza on Saturday afternoon, the IDF announced, as fighting continued across the Strip. We hear about the deadly incident and about the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, which has turned into IDF staging grounds and the launch pad for humanitarian aid. Hezbollah launched a barrage of some 55 rockets at a northern Israeli kibbutz on Saturday in what it said was a response to an Israeli airstrike overnight that killed at least 10 people and wounded five others. We learn about the incident that prompted this barrage as well as other strikes on both sides of the northern border. Two senior Hamas terrorists were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday evening, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said. The pair of Hamas operatives were involved in planning a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley last week, in which 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch was killed and another civilian was wounded. Fabian explains the unusual way in which the IDF announced how their whereabouts were discovered. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF: Dozens of tunnels razed on Gaza-Egypt border, 17,000 terror operatives killed in war 2 IDF reservists killed by bomb during logistics supply mission in central Gaza 55 rockets launched at north after IDF strike on Hezbollah arms depot said to kill 10 Two senior Hamas operatives killed in IDF drone strike in West Bank city of Jenin 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: View of the Philadelphi Corridor between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt, on July 15, 2024. (Oren Cohen/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Author Yossi Klein Halevi joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, a bonus replay of our What Matters Now weekly podcast. This week, we turn to Klein Halevi for a deeply intense probe into what it means to be part of the existential Israeli struggle. We discuss how, as the war in Gaza continues, the different forces in Israeli society are caught up in a destructive push-pull dance even as Israel is losing its moral capital during this long war. During this time of existential schism in the Jewish state, we also hear how to weave threads of unity. So this week, we ask best-selling author Yossi Klein Halevi, what matters now. For news 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 Ben Wallick.  IMAGE: Author Yossi Klein Halevi. (Shalom Hartman Institute)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. As potentially fateful talks for a hostage and ceasefire deal are underway in Qatar, 10 hardliners from the ruling Likud party issued a public letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, detailing four “red lines as members of the Likud movement and as members of the coalition.” Magid fills us in on what are we hearing after the first day of talks, including communications from Qatar to Iran. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a special session of the Turkish parliament on Thursday that he would travel to the Gaza Strip as a statement of solidarity with his people under war. Magid weighs in on some potential obstacles to the visit. Dozens of masked settlers participated in the riot through the northern West Bank village of Jit, with the Palestinian Authority health ministry reporting that a 23-year-old local was killed by “settlers’ bullets.” Israeli security sources said it was unclear who shot him. Magid explores the forces in the coalition that have ties to these extremist elements. Former US president Donald Trump said yesterday that he counseled Netanyahu when they met last month to swiftly “get your victory” because the “killing has to stop” in Gaza. Magid unpacks Trump's statements on this and about a potential future Democrat State Department. Magid recounts how Biden’s big hostage-release deal speech from the White House State Dining Room on May 31 was initially supposed to be a different speech altogether. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Gaza truce talks in Doha get off to ‘promising start,’ set to continue Friday In Turkey, Abbas declares he’ll go to Gaza ‘even if it costs my life,’ mourns Haniyeh Palestinian killed as settlers torch homes and cars in West Bank village Trump: I told Netanyahu ‘get your victory quickly’ because ‘the killing has to stop’ A Biden speech urging national Israeli reckoning was shelved at the last minute. Here’s why 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: A car torched by masked settlers in the Palestinian town of Jit in the West Bank, August 15, 2024. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and Arab Affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, and Netanyahu adviser Ophir Falk were sent to Doha to participate in two days of hostage release negotiations. We hear how the Arab press is covering their chances of success. On Tuesday, Hamas launched rockets toward Tel Aviv for the first time in months. Fabian discusses what we know about the conflict on the ground as well as what this recent rocket attack could symbolize. And as Hezbollah projectiles continue to batter the north, Fabian updates. Yesterday, five Palestinian gunmen were killed in a 12-hour Israeli counter-terrorism raid in the northern West Bank and four soldiers were also wounded during the operation after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle. Fabian debriefs on how the IDF is carrying out a long-term strategy with this type of operation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken okayed the sale of fighter jets and other arms to Israel in deals worth over $20 billion, the Pentagon said Tuesday. What is expected and when? On April 13, Amina Hassouna, a 7-year old Bedouin girl, was the sole victim of the Iran attack and was seriously wounded in the head by shrapnel from an intercepted ballistic missile. We hear how her unrecognized Bedouin community in the Negev, Al-Fura, and many others still lack basic infrastructure, but also sirens, rocket shelters and cover from the Iron Dome missile defense system. As Israelis wait in uncertainty and trepidation for an Iranian attack that may or may not materialize in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, some media outlets in the Arab world have begun to ridicule Tehran’s perceived empty threats and grandstanding. Pacchiani describes a few. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Israel sending high-level team to Doha talks, seen as possible last chance for deal Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv, a first since May, as IDF advances in Khan Younis 5 Palestinian gunmen killed, four troops hurt in West Bank raid US approves $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel, including 50 fighter jets As Iranian retaliation looms, thousands of Bedouins still vulnerable to rockets  Satirical cartoons in the Arab press lampoon Iran for delaying attack on Israel 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: Jordanian cartoonist Emad Hajjaj, who regularly publishes in the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, draws an Iranian tank carries a gigantic missile launcher, which only ends up ejecting a small drone carrying a miniature rocket, August 10, 2024. (screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Political reporter Tal Schneider and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal are scheduled to resume in Qatar on Thursday, with US mediators touting the summit as possibly the final opportunity to release the hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, end the 10-month-long war in Gaza. Schneider tells us what we’re hearing about how the negotiations could also avert the possibility of an all-out regional war with the involvement of Iran. The influential newspaper aligned with the United Torah Judaism political party Yated Ne’eman blasted National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for “endangering Jewish lives” by visiting Temple Mount on the solemn Jewish fast day of Tisha B’av and insisting that Jewish prayer was permitted at the site, in direct contradiction to the status quo upheld by the Israeli government. Sharon weighs in on the ideology guiding Ben Gvir and then Schneider discusses the political fallout. Schneider brings a report about a petition to the High Court that was brought by dozens of parents of IDF fighters who have been in battle for most of the 313 days of the war against Hamas. They claim that the IDF has no regulations in place to handle this long-term situation and as a result, their children are being denied really basic things, such as basic hygiene or the right to even take their boots off for over 80 days. What do the parents hope to accomplish? For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Biden: Iran expected to push off attacking Israel if Gaza ceasefire deal clinched US leads international condemnations of Ben Gvir’s ‘provocations’ at Temple Mount Ben Gvir scorns PM’s objections as Jews seen praying on Temple Mount: ‘It’s my policy’ 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 supporters of Israelis held hostage by Hamas since the October 7 attacks lift flags and placards as they demonstrate calling for their release in Tel Aviv on August 10, 2024. (Oren Ziv / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment and approved battle plans for “the various fronts,” the military said yesterday, as the country braced for an attack from Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. How is the IDF ramping up its preparations for "peak alertness"? The military wing of Hamas on Monday said that members of the terror group assigned to guard Israeli hostages killed a male captive and seriously wounded another two female hostages. The Israel Defense Forces said it could neither confirm nor deny the claim. Fabian tells us what little we know. The United Nations Security Council is set to meet today to discuss Gaza in the wake of this weekend’s Israeli airstrike on what it says was a terror HQ inside a school that was being used as a shelter. Fabian updates with new numbers of terrorists killed during Saturday's strike. In a petition filed Sunday to the Tel Aviv District Court, 14 Tel Aviv residents and the Rosh Yehudi group accused the municipality of facilitating sex-segregated prayers on public grounds by Muslims on their holidays, while preventing similar activities by Jews on Yom Kippur and beyond. Lidor gives background to this tinderbox issue. Today is the annual Jewish day of mourning, Tisha B’Av. Lidor notes a sad new addition to the lamentations traditionally recited today. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF on ‘peak alert’ for Iran, Hezbollah attacks; US expects it may happen this week IDF chief approves multi-front battle plans as Israel girds for Iran, Hezbollah attack Hamas says its guards killed a hostage, wounded two others; IDF investigating claim IDF names another 12 Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in Gaza school strike Sidelined by war, fight over gender-segregated prayer in Tel Aviv resumes in court October 7 trauma reconnects Israelis with a 2,000-year-old Jewish day of mourning 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: Jewish men pray during Tisha B'Av, at the Wall Western, in the Old City of Jerusalem, August 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Lebanese media is reporting that in recent days Hezbollah has entirely evacuated its headquarters in the Beirut suburb of Dahieh and last night AXIOS reported that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke last night with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and told him Iran’s military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack on Israel. What are we hearing about Israel's preparedness? On Saturday morning, after the IDF struck a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command room at the Taba’een school in Gaza City, international media was aflame with damning headlines. Horovitz weighs in. The widely endorsed ceasefire and hostage release deal presented to Israel and Hamas earlier this year is still viable, according to US President Joe Biden, despite the Palestinian terror group’s announcement that it would not be sending a delegation to the August 15 confab. During Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Justice Minister Yariv Levin reportedly pushed for the renewal of the government’s legal overhaul, which has been frozen since October 7. We hear how the judicial overhaul influenced the country last year, leading Borschel-Dan to ask, why make this push now? For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: In reversal, Israel said to now believe Iran plans to attack in next few days Hamas says it won’t attend Thursday’s ‘last opportunity’ talks for hostage-truce deal In cabinet meeting, justice minister said to call to revive judicial overhaul plan 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: Vehicles drive past a huge billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and slain Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Tehran's Valiasr Square on August 12, 2024. (Atta Kenare/ AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.