Day 178 - Why Israel contests UN's Gaza famine claims

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 178 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed streets outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday evening in a mass protest demanding the government resign, marking the first day in what is slated to be a four-day event. As protesters accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning hostages in Gaza and mismanaging the war against Hamas, for his part, he insisted on Sunday night at a press conference that he was doing everything in his power to bring the captives home. What else did he say?

According to multiple media reports, truce talks to release the hostages were set to resume yesterday in Cairo. Did they?

On Friday, Israel contested a recent UN-backed report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza saying that “the report contains multiple factual and methodological flaws, some of them serious.” Berman weighs in.

Yesterday, Israel lambasted an interim report that reviewed allegations by Israel against Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA of employing at least a dozen workers who took active roles during the October 7 Hamas massacre of some 1,200. We hear how independent the report really is.

Israel’s National Security Council said Thursday that Israelis should avoid traveling to Turkey, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt — including the Sinai peninsula, usually a popular holiday destination for Israelis over Passover — in updated travel warnings it issued for the coming months. What is seen as the risk in these areas and elsewhere?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 1, 2024

‘Can’t go on like this’: Tens of thousands start 4-day anti-gov’t protest outside Knesset

As protesters demand he go, Netanyahu argues election would play into Hamas’s hands

The stunning rise, curious suspension and insistent return of Israel’s star spokesman

Indirect truce talks between Israel and Hamas to resume in Cairo

Israel says UN’s interim report on UNRWA allegations a ‘cover up’ of its terror ties

‘Multiple factual flaws’: Israel contests UN-backed report on imminent famine in Gaza

Israel warns of travel to Turkey and Arab countries; also notes Eurovision risks

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: This handout picture released by the Jordanian army on March 31, 2024, shows humanitarian aid being airdropped from a military aircraft over the northern Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jordanian army / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.