The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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 135 of the war. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

While the world is watching to see if Israel will launch a Rafah operation, two Hamas battalions still stand in central Gaza and may be higher in the IDF's priorities. Fabian weighs in on apparent preparations.

Since Thursday, the IDF has been operating in a hospital in Khan Younis. What has the IDF told of its operations there?

On Friday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly revealed the identities of 12 UNRWA staff members who Israel says “actively participated” in the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught on southern Israel. We’re also hearing that some 30 more were involved. What does Fabian know?

Egypt has reportedly been preparing an area at the Gaza border that could accommodate Palestinians in case an Israeli military offensive into Rafah prompts an exodus across the frontier. Sources described this as a contingency move. So what is plan A?

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that the southern town of Beit Lif is undergoing Israeli artillery shelling. Also today, the IDF said it carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in the south Lebanon’s village of Yaroun. We hear what is the impetus of these strikes.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 18, 2024

Israel reveals 12 UNRWA staffers it says took part in Oct. 7, says 30 more assisted

What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: UNRWA’s problem isn’t the terrorists in its ranks

Troops raid Gaza hospital in hunt for remains of hostages, nab dozens of terror suspects

Senior Hezbollah commander and deputy killed in targeted IDF strike in south Lebanon

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Internally displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip shelter near the border fence with Egypt in Rafah, January 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

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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 is Day 134 of the war. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden appeared to caution Israel against launching an operation in Rafah while hostage negotiations were ongoing, in his administration’s latest warning over an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city. What does this mean? 

Is US President Joe Biden distancing himself from Israel, as the war in Gaza progresses through its fifth month with no immediate end in sight? Magid weighs in.

A corporation owned by a settlement municipality signed a contract with one of the Israelis who has been sanctioned by Washington, which could put the government body at risk of being cut off from the US financial system. We hear about this complicated situation.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 16, 2024

Biden says doesn’t expect Israel to launch Rafah operation as hostage talks continue

Biden’s foul-mouthed opinion of Netanyahu a bad $#%! sign, but Israel support endures

Contract signed with sanctioned Israeli exposes settler municipality to US sanctions

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Screen capture from the Givechak website of the crowd funding campaign for Yinon Levi, the founder of the illegal Meitarim Farm West Bank outpost after he was put on a US sanctions list. (Screen capture, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

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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 is Day 133 of the war. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and culture editor Jessica Steinberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Amid growing tensions between the two leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden again spoke by phone for 40 minutes Thursday evening, talking about the hostages taken during the October 7 onslaught, Rafah and the next stage in the fight against Hamas, and touched on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. After the call, Netanyahu released a statement in the middle of the night insisting that Israel will not be pressured into accepting a Palestinian state. Schneider weighs in on why he felt the need to release this statement.

On Wednesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out sending an Israeli delegation for further hostage negotiations in Cairo. He apparently made this decision without consulting the war cabinet. Has there been any political blowback from Netanyahu taking this unilateral decision?

As the fear for their loved ones' safety grows, the hostages’ families are ramping up their efforts to bring global attention to their plight. Steinberg delves into some of the recent campaigns.

Schneider conducted a special project and turned to all 120 members of Knesset to hear their thoughts on the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription. Did she find anything surprising?

Steinberg recently returned from the east coast of the United States where she spoke to numerous Jewish communities. What was her sense of how the Israel-Hamas war is affecting them?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 16, 2024

Netanyahu and Biden speak as divides sharpen on Palestinian state, Rafah operation

Hoping to jar world leaders, hostage’s cousin rebuilds captivity in virtual reality

‘What if they were your children?’: Families demand cabinet return to Cairo talks

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen during a discussion and a vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, February 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/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.

Today is Day 132 of the war. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in the Jerusalem office for today's episode.

Yesterday, Germany and France expressed opposition to a planned Israeli offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. At the same time, Spain and Ireland asked the European Union to “urgently” examine whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza under an accord linking rights to trade ties.

After Netanyahu called off Israel’s participation in the Cairo hostage negotiations, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas to move forward on a deal with Israel to save the Gaza Strip from Israel’s military offensive. Why is Abbas speaking up now?

Israel has released initial indications that the IDF intends to set up coastal tent camps to which civilians will be evacuated from Rafah; other plans include moving civilians from Rafah to Khan Younis once the major fighting in that area has been completed. We hear more.

Today The Washington Post published an in-depth article about a “timeline for a Palestinian state,” which would include "the withdrawal of many, if not all, settler communities on the West Bank; a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem; the reconstruction of Gaza; and security and governance arrangements for a combined West Bank and Gaza.” What does Horovitz make of this?

Yesterday, Horovitz wrote in an op-ed, "The war in Gaza is far from over. The potential for war in the north is growing day by day." In this tit-for-tat conflict across the border, what would potentially be Israel's redline?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 15, 2024

Sooner or later, the IDF will enter Rafah. It may have to fight on northern border, too

Spain, Ireland ask EU to probe if Israel violating human rights in Gaza

PM vetoes further Cairo negotiations on hostages; war cabinet reportedly not consulted

Germany, France fear ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Rafah; PM vows to press ahead

US, Arab allies reportedly set to propose Palestinian statehood plan within weeks

Abbas urges Hamas to seal agreement with Israel now to head off another ‘Nakba’

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrators display signs while marching during a protest held to call for a cease fire in the war in Gaza, February 11, 2024, in Braintree, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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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 is Day 131 of the war. Tech editor Sharon Wrobel and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Jessica Steinberg.

Wrobel speaks about strong reactions from the central bank and Israeli business leaders who are calling on the government to rethink its spending after Moody’s rating agency lowered Israel’s credit rating on Friday.

Ghert-Zand discusses images of medications found in an IDF video of a major Hamas tunnel, and whether those may have been given to hostages known to have been kept in that tunnel.

Wrobel describes a new overland route being used without fanfare by Israeli importers through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as they try to avoid the Yemeni Houthi attacks on the Red Sea.

Ghert-Zand talks about a newly released book about Jewish weddings around the world, with varying customs and traditions.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 14, 2024

Central bank chief appeals to government to take action after Moody’s downgrade

After Moody’s downgrade, government urged to rethink wartime budget priorities

Footage shows medication packages in Gaza tunnel where hostages were held

Houthi bypass: Quietly, goods forge overland path to Israel via Saudi Arabia, Jordan

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron attends Knesset Finance Committee meeting on January 30, 2024 (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/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.

Today is Day 130 of the war. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

Deep under the Red Sea there are undersea cables that provide the internet and communications to many part of Asia, East Africa and the Middle East. Now, apparently these cables are a target by the Houthis. Goren fills us in.

France has delivered a written proposal to Beirut aimed at ending hostilities with Israel and settling the disputed Lebanon-Israel frontier that calls for Hezbollah and other groups to withdraw 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border. Goren explains the pluses and minuses for both sides.

Yesterday, two Palestinians were shot and injured, and a pair of vehicles and a home were torched during violent settler attacks in the northern West Bank. In a later incident in the nearby village of Huwara, a truck belonging to a Palestinian was also set alight by settlers. Sharon fills us in on an uptick of settler violence since October 7.

Preparations for nationwide municipal elections are in full swing ahead of election day on February 27, but 12 municipal authorities will not vote on that date since their inhabitants have been evacuated due to the current conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah. We hear about the arrangements for soldiers, as well as other security concerns.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 13, 2024

France proposes Israel-Lebanon truce deal pushing Hezbollah 10 km from border

Settlers reportedly shoot two Palestinians, torch cars in latest West Bank attacks

With ballot boxes for troops in Gaza, Israel readies for local elections in wartime

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: File - Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against the US strikes on Yemen outside Sanaa on January 22, 2024. (AP Photo)

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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 is Day 129 of the war. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

In a complex overnight operation, Israeli special forces rescued two hostages from Hamas captivity in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early Monday, marking the first successful extraction of captives held by the terror group in months. The released hostages are Fernando Simon Marman, 61, and Norberto Louis Har, 70, who were abducted with Marman’s two sisters and niece. We hear about their status and the mission.

Berman weighs in on whether this rescue mission could influence any hostage negotiations?

We hear about Berman's in-depth look at the tangled knot that is the Rafah operation and how the US-Israel relationship may be fraying.

We hear about how the Super Bowl was used as a platform by Israel and pro-Israel organizations to attempt to win over the hearts and minds of Americans.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 12, 2024

IDF rescues 2 hostages from south Gaza’s Rafah in daring nighttime operation

Mossad, Shin Bet chiefs reportedly to hold Cairo hostage talks if Hamas eases demands

Biden tells Netanyahu: Don’t press into Rafah without ‘credible’ plan for civilians

Netanyahu: US response to attack like Oct. 7 would be ‘at least as strong’ as Israel’s

Key to toppling Hamas, Rafah now a far bigger challenge for Israel than it needed to be

Super Bowl ad on antisemitism features ‘I Have A Dream’ speechwriter Clarence Jones

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Louis Har (L) and Fernando Marman reuniting with their loved ones, at Sheba Medical Center, February 12, 2024 (IDF Spokesperson)

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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 is Day 128 of the war. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

A subterranean data center — complete with an electrical room, industrial battery power banks and living quarters for Hamas terrorists operating the computer servers — was discovered beneath the Gaza Strip headquarters of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, the controversial aid organization known commonly as UNRWA. Is it possible the NGO was kept in the dark?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the IDF to evacuate the 1.3 million Palestinian population currently sheltering in Rafah, the next goal in the IDF's ongoing ground campaign. Where are they meant to go?

For two days in a row, huge barrages of rockets came from Lebanon late last week. . What were these strikes in retaliation to?

The IDF has presented its investigation into the death of hostage Yossi Sharabi in the Gaza Strip to his family. We hear conclusions and also information regarding two other hostages.

A Bedouin Israeli who crossed into the Gaza Strip in 2016 and joined the Hamas terror group has been indicted after IDF troops detained him in December as he was trying to cross back into Israel, the Justice Ministry revealed on Friday. Fabian fills us in.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 11, 2024

Directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters, IDF uncovers top secret Hamas data center

UNRWA head says agency was in dark about Hamas center under Gaza HQ; Israel: ‘You knew’

IDF reveals Gaza tunnel, previously used by Hamas officials, with cell for hostages

PM says IDF must operate in Rafah, but will let civilians evacuate first

Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at northern towns, 2nd such barrage in as many days

Top Hamas official in Lebanon survives alleged Israeli strike; 3 others killed

IDF: Hostage Yossi Sharabi was likely killed as a result of IDF strike

Bedouin Israeli who joined Hamas in Gaza in 2016 arrested trying to return to Israel

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out the previous Daily Briefing episode:

https://omny.fm/shows/the-daily-briefing/day-127-is-time-running-out-for-us-support-for-gaz

IMAGE: A subterranean Hamas data center underneath UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City, February 8, 2024. (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 is Day 127 of the war. Editor David Horovitz and US bureau chief Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

US President Joe Biden said that the conduct of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza was “over the top.” Horovitz puts this statement into the context of others from US officials in recent weeks. 

On Thursday, Biden issued a memorandum requiring allies who receive military aid from the US to provide “credible and reliable written assurances” of their adherence to international law including international human rights law. Magid explains why this new policy is targeting Israel, but was also written with Israel's "blessing."

In statements today, Saudi Arabia and Egypt warned Israel against carrying on with a massive push into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in the Strip, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Horovitz weighs in on the extremely complicated military and diplomatic operations on the horizon.

Despite international calls to defund and shut down UNRWA, replacing the UN’s relief agency for Palestinian refugees in the middle of the Israel-Hamas war would all but end in a humanitarian disaster, according to Andrea De Domenico, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories. What else did Magid learn?

Senior Israeli security officials held a covert meeting with their counterparts from the Palestinian Authority in Tel Aviv this week to discuss efforts to calm tensions in the West Bank and boost its economy ahead of Ramadan. Magid tells us more.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 10, 2024

White House clarifies Biden spoke of Israel when he said Gaza response ‘over the top’

Biden sets new conditions for US military aid amid calls to limit support for Israel

PM says IDF must operate in Rafah, but will let civilians evacuate first

Netanyahu said to believe Israel has 1 month to finish Rafah operation amid global ire

US proposals to fund other agencies instead of UNRWA not viable — senior aid official

Israel talks steps to help West Bank economy in covert meeting with PA officials

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, February 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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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 is Day 126 of the war. Environmental correspondent Sue Surkes and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg.

Surkes discusses the ongoing issue of the ultra-Orthodox community serving in the IDF, particularly as the IDF looks to extend conscription time for enlisted soldiers and reservists as it prepares for a long war in Gaza.

She also looks at expectations for the rain-fed crops in the south, where wheat and barley are grown and farmers are concerned about irrigation, even after two weeks of steady rain.

Pacchiani talks about a US non-profit organization that is interviewing regular Gazans who are trying to survive the Hamas onslaught and fear for their lives.

He also mentions an US-based Iranian-born artist who is creating murals about the Israel-Iranian relationship and putting them up around the country.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 9, 2024

After the October 7 cataclysm, has the Haredi attitude to serving in the IDF changed?

Winter showers boost wheat crop, but water worries continue to stalk farmers

In Israel, Iranian artist unveils Oct. 7-themed mural honoring Persian-Jewish ties

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

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Haredi Jews visit Israeli soldiers to show their support as they deploy at a position near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11, 2023. (Menahem Kahana/AFP) 

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