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 185 of the war with Hamas. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

This morning, Israeli and Palestinian officials have downplayed reports that a truce and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas could be reached as early as this week. But citing a senior Egyptian official involved in the talks, the Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera reported that talks in Cairo have made “significant progress on several contentious points of agreement.” Goren explores how the recent phone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week is playing a role.

Six months after the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, 70% of those who departed the affected area have returned. The government released data yesterday. Lidor brings us some more numbers.

Also yesterday, 18 prominent rabbis associated with the Shas party and the ultra-Orthodox Sephardi movement signed onto a document rejecting any compromise on the conscription of Haredi Jews – including those who are not studying in yeshivas. Lidor explains why this runs counter to perceived notions of Shas.

Finally, to mark six months of war, Goren explores how October 7 was Israel's national experience of a solar eclipse.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 8, 2024

IDF chief says withdrawal of troops from Gaza doesn’t mean war is close to end

Israel, Hamas downplay report of progress in truce talks amid optimism from Egypt

6 months on, 70% of evacuees from the south are home, but thousands remain in hotels

Shas rabbis spurn compromise on Haredi draft following High Court ruling

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

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IMAGE: A person holds a handful of spent bullet casings above a bigger pile in Khan Yunis on April 7, 2024, after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern Gaza Strip, six months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks on southern Israel. (AFP)

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