Day 121 - Anatomy of the fraying Israel-Egypt alliance

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.

Today is Day 121 of the war. Arab affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

In 2005, Egypt and Israel signed the “Philadelphi agreement,” which stipulated that Egypt was responsible for securing the 14 km of the axis with 750 soldiers. A slew of Israeli diplomatic faux-pas is causing Egypt to question its relationship with Israel. Pacchiani explains why.

According to the Wall Street Journal, internal divisions among Hamas leaders are preventing the Palestinian terror group from backing a proposed hostage release deal that would include a pause to the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The stances of the leaders have also flip-flopped. Pacchiani picks at this knot.

Lidor recently spent time on Kibbutz Kfar Aza with Shahar Shnorman and his wife Ayelet Cohen, the first two kibbutznikim to move back there. We hear what life is like there for the couple.

Soldiers, mostly reservists, have been moved by the starving animals they’re seeing in Gaza and have “rescued” some. But rescue is in the eye of the beholder, especially when it comes to animals that may have monetary value. We hear more.

Two French celebrities’ online row over the Israel-Hamas war has taken an unusual turn, attracting extensive media coverage. This story has almost every cultural trend in it — class warfare, gender issues, ageism and of course, antisemitism. We hear how it's playing out.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 4, 2024

Egypt expert warns: Israel cannot afford to take Cairo’s cooperation for granted

Hamas leaders at odds over proposed hostage release deal — report

Resilience amid ruins: Kfar Aza’s first two returnees hope to forge a path of renewal

Israeli troops’ rescue of animals in Gaza fuels pro-Palestinian ‘looting’ charges

In France, a celebrity flame war about Israel highlights shifting attitudes

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: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip sit next to the border fence with Egypt in Rafah, January 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.