Day 169 - UN’s Gaza aid head: Situation slightly less desperate

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 169 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

What do we now know about a potential address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer's response to it?

A massive appropriations package the US Congress passed early Saturday included a one-year ban on US funding to UNRWA until 2025. Magid explains what are likely scenarios.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is conducting a tour of the region and he said at the Rafah crossing today that a long line of blocked relief trucks on Egypt’s side of the border with the Gaza Strip where people face starvation is a moral outrage, blaming Israel for the delay. Yesterday, Magid spoke with the UN’s Gaza humanitarian coordinator. What did he learn?

The UN Security Council is set to vote on Monday on a resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but the United States warned the measure could hurt negotiations to pause the Israel-Hamas war. Magid weighs in.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel on the last stop of his sixth diplomatic swing through the region since war erupted on October 7, amid tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the management of the conflict. What are we hearing from Blinken's meetings here?

Magid obtained a series of documents that reveal how top Israeli officials sought and expressed their appreciation for the financial support provided by Qatar to stabilize the humanitarian situation in Gaza in the years and months prior to Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog March 23, 2024

‘A moral outrage’: At Gaza border, UN chief decries blocked trucks, inadequate aid flow

Schumer suggests he’s on board with proposal for Netanyahu to address Congress

Israel lauds US ban on UNRWA financing until 2025 under new government funding bill

UNSC vote set for Monday on new Gaza ceasefire resolution; US unlikely to back it

Blinken warns major Rafah op risks global isolation, long-term security harm for Israel

Documents show Israel sought, valued Qatari aid for Gaza in years leading to Oct. 7

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: File - Jamie McGoldrick, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, visits the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 5, 2020. (SAID KHATIB / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.