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, we bring you a bonus episode of Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Andrew Fox.

Fox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, served in the British Army from 2005 to 2021, completing three tours in Afghanistan, including one attached to the US Army Special Forces. At the transatlantic think tank, he specializes in Defense, the Middle East, and disinformation. He holds degrees in Law and Politics, Modern War Studies and Psychology.

This week, Fox and a team of researchers published a report that made international headlines titled, "Questionable Counting: Analysing the Death Toll from the Hamas-Run Ministry of Health in Gaza."

According to the report, the Palestinian death toll for the Gaza war appears to include thousands of people who died of natural causes as well as incorrect figures — partly in an effort to inflate the toll of women and children.

Worse, international media outlets are too quick to accept the figures from terror group Hamas -- usually without the scrutiny and rigor that are applied when reporting numbers supplied by Israel. The Hamas-run Health Ministry's figures, the report claims, are being manipulated for propaganda needs.

[caption id="attachment_3442530" align="alignright" width="300"] Andrew Fox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, on a research trip in the Gaza Strip, summer 2024. (courtesy)[/caption]

The Gaza health ministry, under Hamas, “has systematically inflated the death toll by failing to distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths, over-reporting fatalities among women and children and even including individuals who died before the conflict began,” the report said.

We discuss the report and hear Fox's assessment of how the IDF's operations in Gaza have played out, as well as the one arena Israel has neglected -- the fight for world opinion.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

UK think tank: Gaza death toll inflated to defame Israel for targeting civilians

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: The IDF operates in the southern Gaza Strip's Rafah in this hand out image from December 16, 2024. (IDF)

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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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's extended Friday episode.

As Israel continues to contend with a war on seven fronts -- primarily through Iran-backed militia proxies -- Berman floats a hypothesis that Israel should turn to its natural allies in the region as well.

We hear about how history has shown that Israeli proxies don't always have the same goals as the Jewish state. We learn about the case of the South Lebanon Army and how things entirely fell apart. And Berman explains how the Kurds -- and potentially the Druze -- could be a long-term strategic answer for Israel's isolated position in the region.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

After Yemen strikes, Netanyahu says Israel hitting Houthis on behalf of ‘entire world’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, during his visit to Lebanese General Antoine Lahat (right) leader of the South Lebanese Army on January 26, 1989 in Marjayoun, Lebonon. (AP Photo/Max Nash)

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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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Magid speaks about the ongoing hostage negotiations and intense speculation in the media. He notes that any agreed-upon ceasefire would be longer and less fragile than the week-long pause in fighting that took place in November 2023. He also discusses the unusual cooperation taking place between the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration in the ceasefire negotiations.

Magid discusses a reckoning by Biden officials following the Israeli attack on Hezbollah and the panic initially felt among US intelligence officials and the Israeli government beforehand, as the concerns were that an Israeli strike on Hezbollah could lead to an all-out war with Lebanon.

He also reviews the Biden administration's decision not to sanction Netanyahu coalition partners, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, after months of considering such a move because of their roles in increasing settler violence and destabilizing the West Bank.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu said set to huddle with top brass Thursday to discuss Gaza deal latest

Hamas fears Trump will allow Israel to resume Gaza war after 1st phase of hostage deal

US intel wrongly envisioned catastrophic outcome if IDF escalated against Hezbollah

US won’t sanction Smotrich and Ben Gvir before end of Biden’s term — officials

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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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.

Arab affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani and archaeology reporter Gavriel Fiske join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet the Qatari Prime Minister in Doha today, in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas on a Gaza deal. Pacchiani updates us on what he is reading about the hostage-release talks in neighboring nations' Arabic media this morning.

Recently, the Palestinian Authority seems to be flexing its peace-keeping muscles in the West Bank, perhaps signally that it is ready to take on the challenge of Gaza. We hear about a possible Hamas-Fatah alliance -- and whether Israel would sign on to it.

Syrian Christians currently make up less than 2% of the population and the new HTS rebels regime has repeatedly reassured Syrians and the international community that it will protect all minorities and women. Pacchiani reports on what he is hearing from Syrian Christians.

Likewise,
Alawites, a sect that splintered from Shiite Islam in the ninth century, constitute around 10% of Syria’s predominantly Sunni population. While uncertainty prevails among all of Syria’s religious minorities today, the Alawite community – from which deposed President Assad originates – arguably has the most to fear. Pacchiani weighs in.

In late November, speaking at an academic conference in Boston, veteran archaeologist Prof. Glenn Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University made a startling claim: Four tiny clay cylinder-shaped seals, which had been excavated 20 years ago from an intact Bronze Age tomb in Syria, were engraved with what he asserted was the earliest known examples of alphabetic writing — albeit as yet undeciphered. We talk about why this find is in the news again -- and what it appears to be.

Researchers have deciphered a tiny third-century Christian silver scroll that was found rolled up inside an amulet, at a Roman burial site in Frankfurt, Germany. Could this be “the oldest Christian testimony found north of the Alps,” as the announcement claims?

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

With a show of force in Jenin, the PA tries to prove it can rule Gaza. But can it?

Can Syria’s dwindling Christian community survive under jihadi rebel rule?

A claim that the earliest alphabet was found in Syria sparks a media maelstrom – finally

Amulet found in Germany said to be ‘oldest Christian testimony north of the Alps’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Palestinians carry UN-donated flour in Khan Younis, central Gaza Strip, Saturday December 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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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.

Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Horovitz speaks about recent comments made by Defense Minister Israel Katz about the IDF remaining in Gaza, as a way of reiterating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's positioning in the current ceasefire negotiations.

He also looks at what's being said about a possible hostage deal and a sense of progress on some kind of three-phase deal, no longer conditioned by Hamas on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, given a clear softening of Hamas' position.

Horovitz discusses the latest in Netanyahu's government coalition, which was able to pass budget legislation even when Otzma Yehudit's leader, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against parts of the budget legislation as a show of defiance and disagreement over the judicial overhaul and his desire to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

He also reviews what's being said by Syrian rebel leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, and the need to be wary about al-Julani's statements, as a known fighter with a US bounty on his head, even though he speaks about his desire to build a better country. Syria is an unknowable quantity at the moment, says Horovitz.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Katz said to tell MKs hostage-truce deal ‘closer than ever,’ echoing Hamas optimism

Trump says he’s ‘trying to help very strongly’ to bring hostages home

Otzma Yehudit votes against state budget, as coalition splits over bid to fire AG

Syrian Islamist leader says rebel groups to be disbanded, minority rights protected

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Hostage family members and supporters protest outside the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv, December 17, 2024. (Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

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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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Yesterday, Berman visited Lebanon, crossing through Fatima Gate with 91st Division commander Brig. Gen. Shai Klepper to examine what Lebanon’s border villages look like after two months of fighting, and how the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is holding up. We hear his most immediate impression and learn what Druze IDF officers told him.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he discussed with US President-elect Donald Trump ongoing efforts to bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, as Israeli officials indicated that a deal could be reached in less than two weeks despite sticking points in negotiations. On Monday, mediators cited by Lebanese outlet al-Akhbar reported that there are unprecedented levels of readiness for a hostage deal in Gaza from both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas. Berman fills us in.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday that Israel will be shutting its embassy in Ireland, citing the “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.” Berman dives into the problematic Ireland-Israel relationship and what this step signifies.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Heavy Israeli airstrikes reported on Syrian military sites in coastal Tartus region

As northern Israel comes back to life, Hezbollah strongholds over the border lie in ruins

PM discusses hostages with Trump as Israeli officials say deal could be clinched in days

Israel to close its embassy in Dublin due to Ireland’s ‘extreme anti-Israel policy’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Troops of the IDF's 91st Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 15, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

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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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Rockets were fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Gaza at southern Israel Friday night. These aren’t the only rockets from the Strip in the past week or so. We hear what this uptick represents.

On Wednesday, the IDF confirmed that it had withdrawn its troops from the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. What kind of presence remains in southern Lebanon?

Exactly a week ago, the first IDF tanks and troops pushed into southern Syria, seizing control of the former Syrian army posts located within a buffer zone that has existed between the countries since 1974, after a rebel uprising took place there by a coalition of various Druze tribes and opposition groups going by the name of Southern Operations Room. We hear what little is known about their leadership and ideology and Fabian reports on what he saw at an IDF's forward defense post, just beyond the buffer zone.

On Thursday, the IAF said that after over a decade of evading air defenses over the skies of Syria during a campaign against Iran’s supply of weapons to Hezbollah, it had achieved total air superiority in the area and therefore, there is an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Fabian weighs in.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF says rockets fired at south on Friday were launched from aid warehouse area

IDF confirms withdrawal from southern Lebanon’s Khiam in accordance with ceasefire

Katz says IDF troops will stay atop Syrian side of Mount Hermon during winter months

We don’t know how the rebels will act, IDF commander tells ToI inside southern Syria

New Israeli strikes said to target Syrian military sites, underground missile bunkers

IDF sees chance for strikes on Iran nuke sites after knocking out Syria air defenses

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: A convoy of IDF vehicles approach a United Nations position on the border between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights on  December 11, 2024. The Syrian Army Tel Kwdana post can be seen in the background. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel) 

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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 we're bringing you a bonus episode of What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Middle East expert Ksenia Svetlova.

As the rebel factions in Syria continue to fight to wrest control -- from the fallen Assad regime as well as from each other -- one of the ways to measure how the country will emerge is to look at the factions' treatment of women: On Tuesday, for example, the Biden administration said it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women.

In 2020, Svetlova published a Hebrew-language book, "On Heels in the Middle East," depicting her travels throughout the Middle East as a female (and sometimes overtly Jewish) journalist.

Born in Moscow, Svetlova immigrated to Israel at the age of 14. She is a journalist and analyst and was a member of the 20th Knesset for the Zionist Union party. Today she is the executive director of ROPES, which works to connect "forward-thinking Israeli and Palestinian emerging leaders with like-minded peers from across the Middle East and North Africa."

In our conversation, she draws on her experiences reporting from inside the region's Islamic countries to evaluate and rank their women's rights and freedoms. We discuss which country most supports women's rights -- Tunisia -- and the many countries that vie for the least free.

Later, we hear Svetlova's thoughts on future Russian influence in Syria and the region.

So this week, as all eyes are on Syria and the rebels that hope to rule it, we ask Ksenia Svetlova, what matters now.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: A woman holding a rifle borrowed from a Syrian opposition fighter poses for a picture, next to a government forces tank that was left on a street, at the Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, December 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

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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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast from the Jerusalem office.

We are continuing a new Friday tradition that we instituted last week and giving a deeper look into one aspect of the news. Today, we’re going to delve into Israel’s ever-evolving relationship and strategy with Syria.

We turn back the clock to the foundation of Syria and take a look at each decade of Israel’s existence vis a vis its neighbor to the north. We see how this background plays into Israel currently filling the vacuum in the buffer zone between the two countries after rebel forces decimated the Asad regime’s forces in the past week.

We learn that following a series of wars, Syria discovered that it would not win back the Golan Heights through force. Berman speaks about the decades-long peace talks between the two countries -- and what foiled them

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Israel rejects French call to withdraw from Syria buffer: ‘Necessary for defense’

France calls on Israel to exit Syria buffer zone as Spain, Germany urge restraint

IDF building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show

Pro-Assad troops take over Golan UN post in demilitarized area on Israeli border

UN calls for armed groups to leave Golan area separating Israel-Syria forces

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand guard on a security fence gate near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, December 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

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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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast.

Magid and Schneider speak about the cautious optimism of some Israeli government officials regarding renewed hostage talks, amid the arrival of US National security adviser Jake Sullivan to the region.

Magid also looks at the request of Trump advisors who asked for the return of Hamas leaders to Qatar as they view the Gulf country's mediation efforts as vital to the hostage negotiations, and want the entire situation completed by the January 20 inauguration.

Magid and Schneider discuss the latest in the Golan Heights and IDF activity in the buffer zone with Syria following the rebel group takeover.  Several European countries asked for Israel's restraint as no one wants Israel and the rebel groups to set off on an antagonistic relationship.

Finally, Schneider looks at the latest in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial, as the prime minister claims he was never favored by any of the Israeli media that he attempted to influence, but rather received hostile coverage.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Sullivan heads to Israel for Biden administration’s likely final hostage deal push

1st hostage to return from Gaza meets Trump, urges him to do all he can to free captives

Security chiefs discuss hostage deal in Cairo as Israel sees growing chances

Trump aides asked Qatar to recall ousted Hamas chiefs in bid to revive hostage talks

Netanyahu argues ‘hostile’ Walla coverage, telecoms reforms prove bribery claims ‘absurd’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Hostage family members speak to the media after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, December 8, 2024. (Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

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