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.

A record 3,500-plus Jewish pilgrims were said to visit the Temple Mount over the course of the Tisha B’Av fast day. Among them was far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who led a group of Jewish worshipers in prayer. It was the first time that a government minister was recorded overtly worshipped at the flashpoint site in violation of the status quo. What has been the response so far?

US special envoy Steve Witkoff was finally deployed to the Mideast this past weekend. We hear an update on the current stalemate in the hostage release-ceasefire negotiations and discuss what Witkoff and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee tweeted after entering the Gaza Strip on Friday to tour one of the joint US-Israel humanitarian distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. We also hear how US President Donald Trump currently views the situation on the ground in Gaza.

And finally, Magid relays portions of conversations held recently with three men living in different parts of Gaza about how they daily face life-threatening danger to find food for their families.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

In first, Ben Gvir openly leads prayers on Temple Mount, in violation of status quo

Witkoff, Huckabee tour Gaza, assess humanitarian situation, to help Trump craft aid plan

PM said seeking ‘decisive military victory’ in Gaza, putting hostage families on edge

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: US special envoy Steve Witkoff (2nd left) and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (3rd left) tour a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site on August 1, 2025. (Mike Huckabee/X)

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