The lives of Palestinians in West Bank refugee camps and surrounding villages have become a "nightmare" as a result of the intensified military campaigns by the IDF against militant groups operating there, says Haaretz West Bank correspondent Hagar Shezaf on the Haaretz Podcast. 

Two days after the Gaza cease-fire went into effect, Israel began operation "Iron Wall" - an aggressive campaign targeting Palestinian militant groups. It is focused on the Jenin refugee camp, and includes air strikes and raids, the demolishing of infrastructure like water, roads, and electricity, and repeatedly forcing civilians out of their homes.

“You can't argue there are militants in these places, but at the same time, there are regular people who just live there, and their life has become a nightmare over the past two years,” particularly since October 7, says Shezaf, discussing how the war - and the cease-fire - has affected the West Bank, which she has covered for the past five years.

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After months in Hamas captivity, the release of some Israeli hostages has brought moments of relief - but also difficult questions. While the public sees smiling faces and embraces, the reality behind the scenes is far more complex.

In this episode, Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer speaks with Professor Hagai Levine, head of the health team for the Hostages Family Forum and chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physician.

What happens to a person’s body and mind after being held hostage for over a year? Why is the Israeli government failing to provide proper long-term care for the freed hostages? And what needs to be done - urgently - to rescue those who are still trapped in Gaza?

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At the moment, Israelis may think they have U.S. President Donald Trump's unconditional support when it comes to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - but that is not the case, according to Haaretz Washington correspondent Ben Samuels.

Reviewing Trump’s first weeks in office and their impact on the Middle East, amid reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be visiting the White House in coming days, Samuels noted on the Haaretz Podcast that Trump took dramatic steps with executive orders erasing what he could of President Joe Biden’s legacy. This includes  rescinding sanctions on violent extremist settlers in the West Bank, and lifting the only hold that Biden put on heavy payload weapons to Israel. 

Also on this week's podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan described the powerful scene at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv over the weekend, where the release of four young women, IDF spotters who were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, brought tears and relief to a country on edge. 

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This week, phase one of the long-awaited cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. As part of the deal, three Israeli hostages - Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher – were freed from Hamas captivity after 471 days. Israelis were glued to their televisions, and thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, to watch as the women finally came home.

But there are 94 more hostages in Hamas' hands, to be released in phases as part of the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said that he seeks to continue the war, and Hamas started the cease-fire by delaying their first task – relaying a list of hostages to be released to Israel.

For the podcast, Haaretz reporter Linda Dayan spoke to senior writer and columnist Amir Tibon about what the first day of the cease-fire looked like from the Gaza border, and what violating the deal would mean for the hostages and the communities in the region, including his own Nahal Oz.

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For the first time in over a year, a deal to free the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and end the devastating war there seems imminent. The first stage of the deal will reportedly see 33 people held captive by Hamas return to Israel and a temporary cease-fire.

But much of it is still up in the air – even after it becomes final. Many factors can sabotage the deal in its planning stages or during its implementation. Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan spoke to Haaretz's senior security analyst Amos Harel about the hurdles that remain, the future of Gaza, the fate of the hostages and the dashed hopes of Israel's radical right wing.

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Israelis have long prided themselves on their ability to face war and conflict with strength and resilience. But the tragedy of October 7, and the ongoing war in Gaza and attacks by Iranian proxies have challenged this ethos, says Karen Zivan, a psychologist who works in schools alongside her private practice, and the mother of five sons who have served in reserve duty during the current war.

On the podcast, Zivan talks to host Allison Kaplan Sommer about the different ways the war has taken its toll on the Israeli psyche, and how mental health professionals are coping with the enormous well of need.

Haaretz correspondent Nagham Zbeedat also joins the podcast to discuss her coverage of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and specifically her recent article on the inability of parents of newborn babies to meet basic needs.

"When the war broke out, it was declared that Israel was going to war against Hamas and those who praise Hamas," Zbeedat said, explaining her decision to focus on the issue. "But babies had no control. Children and women are most affected by the war and they have absolutely no control... War isn't just about bombs and airstrikes, but also the psychological struggle that parents go through knowing that they can't provide a secure and safe environment for their children."

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This week, Israel was rocked by the story of a young man who served in Gaza that went on a trip to Brazil – and found himself wanted for questioning for war crimes. He managed to flee the country before he was arrested, but questions remained: What does this mean for soldiers and reservists who fought in the war and want to travel abroad? Is this the new normal?

Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan spoke to Amir Tibon, a senior writer and columnist for the Haaretz English edition, about efforts by pro-Palestinian groups to track Israelis who saw combat in Gaza and push for their prosecution, unwittingly aided by the soldiers themselves, who posted pictures and videos from the front, against the IDF’s orders.

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A year has come and gone, and Israel has worn down Hamas and Gaza and decimated the leadership and manpower of Hezbollah, achieving many of its stated objectives since the war began.

But one of the most – if not the most – pressing issue has yet to be solved. One hundred people kidnapped by Hamas and other militants in Gaza remain in captivity, over 450 days later. Each week, their families and supporters protest for their release, pleading for a deal that will see their loved ones come home and the fighting cease. But why hasn't this happened yet, and why do the negotiations keep falling apart?

Haaretz reporter Linda Dayan spoke to Daniel Shek, a former Israeli ambassador and the head of diplomacy for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, about the negotiations, why the Israeli government won't end the war, the international community's failures and what the future might hold.

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The turbulent events of 2024 in Israel had a significant impact around the world. 

The ongoing war in Gaza and other fronts had a particularly deep and emotional effect on the lives of Diaspora Jews, who coped with angry protests against Israel on campuses and in city centers, and with soaring rates of antisemitic violence. 

The new and disturbing environment ignited “a feeling of vulnerability and exile that came back to us,” said Paris Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, one of the important voices from the Diaspora who joined the Haaretz Podcast over the course of the year.

Excerpts from the conversation between podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer and Horvilleur, along with insights from interviews with other leading thinkers from the Jewish world like writers Franklin Foer, Ayelet Waldman, and Masha Gessen and award-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner are featured on this special year-end edition of the podcast.

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In this special year-end episode, we take an in-depth look at the seismic events that shaped Israel in 2024 through the conversations on the Haaretz Podcast. 

It was a year in which the shadow of October 7, 2023 and its aftermath - the death and destruction in Gaza, the hostages still held by Hamas, unprecedented fighting between Israel and Hezbollah - loomed large with the nation grappling with its most devastating multi-front war in decades.

Featuring excerpts from interviews with newsmakers and the analysis and insights of expert Haaretz journalists, we explore Israel’s journey through 2024 and its series of dramatic events and ask what has been learned - or not learned - from this ongoing crisis? 

The episode includes conversations with Ambassador Dennis Ross, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jonathan Dekel-Chen - the father of an American-Israeli hostage in Gaza, and Haaretz journalists Aluf Benn, Amos Harel, Sheren Falah Saab, Amir Tibon, Ben Samuels and Dahlia Scheindlin.

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