Day 80 - IDF finds suicide vests for kids near a Gaza school

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 80 of the war. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

The IDF announced this morning that the number of troops killed fighting in Gaza has risen to 156, with the additional deaths of two soldiers during battles in the northern Gaza Strip. This weekend saw more than a dozen other casualties. Fabian gives insight into the relatively rising number of casualties.

The Israeli Navy struck several Hamas cells identified near ground forces in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the IDF says, releasing footage of Navy shelling along the coast. We hear about the role the IDF's Navy plays now as well as Hamas's maritime capabilities.

A 1-km squared network of tunnels was announced by the IDF yesterday after it had razed the system. Five bodies of hostages were previously found in various arms of the subterranean lair.

The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out “wide-scale” strikes against Hezbollah targets Sunday after barrages of rockets from Lebanon targeted multiple communities in northern Israel. Fabian explains what is different this time.

Yesterday, Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip found a large cache of weapons used by Hamas in a building where civilians were sheltering in the northern part of the enclave, including “explosive belts adapted for children." What else did they find?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 25, 2023

IDF razes tunnel where 5 hostages found dead, says Hamas HQ under north Gaza crushed

IDF carries out ‘wide-scale’ airstrikes on Hezbollah as rockets from Lebanon hit north

IDF: Troops find kid-sized explosive belts in Gaza building used to shelter civilians

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: IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in a handout photo released December 25, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.