Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Today's guests are military writer Judah Ari Gross and political reporter Tal Schneider, with host Jessica Steinberg.

Gross fills us in on the recent uptick in Gazan violence, and examines what that really means in terms of Hamas control over the Gaza Strip, a situation that recent Israeli governments have allowed, rather than risk escalating the situation.

Schneider discusses how she came about her latest feature regarding a secret 2017 mission by Israeli engineers and an American Jewish lawyer to steal into Iraq in order to rehabilitate the tomb of the prophet Nachum. That feature will be in the Times of Israel on Wednesday, after first appearing on Zman Yisrael in Hebrew.

Gross and Schneider close the podcast with a conversation about recent statements on the part of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid regarding Iran, Israel and the US.

Discussed articles include:

Israeli jets strike Gaza after 2nd rocket attack in 24 hours

Terrorists fire one rocket from Gaza, then another as IDF strikes Hamas targets

Gantz reveals Iranian drone base, says it is used to train terror groups

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PHOTO: Palestinians protest near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on September 2, 2021. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

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