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.

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

We are on day 19 of the war, which erupted on October 7 when some 2,500 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel in a bloody massacre that left 1,400 — mostly civilians — dead, some 220 taken hostage and about 200,000 internally displaced Israelis.

The IDF has said that a number of Hamas terrorists attempted to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip via the sea on Tuesday evening and were killed by Israeli Navy forces. Berman updates us with the past 24 hours' operations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appeared to suggest the impetus for the Hamas terror group’s devastating October 7 attack on Israel was the Jewish state’s continued control of Palestinian territories. What exactly was said here?

Israel rejoiced at the news of the additional two hostages who were freed on Monday night, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper. Lifshitz, whose husband is among the 220 other hostages still in Gaza, held a press conference yesterday. Goren explores what happened there.

Berman digs into Israel’s fighting record over the past 30 years and the IDF’s deep reluctance to order ground troops into battle.

And finally, Goren explains why so many of the captured and killed in the October 7 Hamas invasion were life-long peace activists.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 25, 2023

IDF says sea-borne Hamas infiltration thwarted, two terrorists killed

Israel demands UN chief resign after he says Hamas attacks ‘did not occur in vacuum’

Freed Hamas hostage recounts ordeal, slams Israeli failures, speaks well of captors

Israel has shunned ground operations for decades. Is it still looking for a way out?

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: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, October 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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