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 75 of the war. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Schneider discusses what's been discovered about Gaza tunnels during the ongoing war, including their architecture, materials and design and what the IDF needs to accomplish in order to fully conquer the underground structures.

Sharon talks about far right Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich and his latest threats as finance minister with regard to Palestinian Authority funds to Gaza, and how that could be the final straw in his political coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Schneider looks at another issue that's arisen during the 75 days of war, as certain conscripted combat soldiers have been embedded in Gaza for weeks, unable to come home or communicate with their families, leading to a heated public conversation on the matter.

Sharon looks at the report issued by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman regarding the government's mishandling of many civilian issues on the homefront in the first six weeks of the war.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 20, 2023

‘If the generals are counting tunnels, it suggests things are not going well’

Amid reported plan to funnel PA money into Gaza, Smotrich insists: ‘Not one shekel’

State comptroller assails government failures on home front after Oct. 7 onslaught

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 soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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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 74 of the war. Reporter Canaan Lidor and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

Lidor attended the hostage families' rally last Saturday night in Tel Aviv, which occurred a day after the deadly accident that saw three hostages shot by the IDF in Gaza. He explains the development of political camps within the movement.

In the hostage release deal, some 20 East Jerusalem residents of school age were set free. They are slated to rejoin the city’s education system on January 10, after the Christmas holidays marked in the city’s east. Pacchiani reports on concerns within the Jerusalem municipality.

It’s been over 10 weeks since the October 7 massacre and most of the internally displaced Israelis from the Gaza envelope and the northern border are still in hotels and temporary housing. Lidor discusses some plans on the horizon.

Until a couple of weeks ago, residents of the unrecognized Bedouin village, Umm al-Hiran located east of the Negev’s capital Beersheba, had no adequate protection against rocket fire from Gaza. What’s changed?

Public Christmas celebrations have been canceled throughout the Holy Land. But Pacchiani spoke with one Santa in the Old City who is keeping up his traditions.

“Israel in Egypt,” which was first performed in 1739 and references stories from the Hebrew Bible, is now off the program for a German choir's holiday concert. Lidor explains that this is part of a growing European phenomenon.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 19, 2023

Partisan divisions resurface at rival rallies for release of Gaza hostages

Twenty released Palestinian inmates set to return to Jerusalem schools in January

Unrecognized Bedouin village gets its first-ever rocket shelter, as war rages

Citing Gaza war, prominent German choir drops Handel’s 1739 ‘Israel in Egypt’ song

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: Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza have formed a tent city outside Tel Aviv's Hakirya Base, December 18, 2023. (Miriam Alster/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 73 of the war. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

Fabian delves into how the IDF is reacting to the accidental killing of 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza on Friday and what IDF Chief Herzi Halevi is saying.

Yesterday, the IDF revealed the largest-ever Hamas attack tunnel discovered by the military, in the northern Gaza Strip, close to the Erez border crossing with Israel, but not inside Israeli territory. Just how big is this tunnel?

Were we not in a ground offensive in Gaza, the tit-for-tat retaliation between Israel and Hezbollah would be taken more seriously. What has been seen in and out of Lebanon and Syria recently?

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected in Israel today and may announce efforts to stymie Yemen's Houthi rebel group, which is targeting shipping in the Red Sea.

The Times of Israel confirmed that Israel’s reported attempt to pump seawater into the vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza was a success. Fabian fills us in.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 18, 2023

Halevi to troops, after 3 hostages killed: IDF doesn’t shoot people waving white flag

IDF uncovers largest-ever Hamas attack tunnel, near northern Gaza border crossing

Gallant warns Hezbollah amid frequent attacks from Lebanon, IDF retaliatory strikes

Syria says two soldiers hurt, ‘material losses’ caused by alleged Israeli airstrike

IDF trial of flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater proves successful, ToI told

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 soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas terrorists used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, December 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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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 72 of the war. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

The accidental killing of Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz was the main issue addressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz in a three-way press conference last night. Horovitz reports on what was said.

Horovitz recently spoke with Maj. Gen. (res) Tamir Hayman, who spent 34 years in the IDF, culminating in more than three years as head of Military Intelligence in 2018-21. He is now the head of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, a leading think tank. We hear highlights of the 13-point interview.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 17, 2023

Defense chiefs take blame for hostage killings, note complexities of Gaza battlefield

‘And suddenly darkness’: IDF’s tragic killing of 3 hostages a new, heartbreaking blow

How did we go so wrong: 13 questions for a former IDF intelligence chief

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: Family and friends of Samer Fouad Al-Talalka mourn and bury him in Hura, southern Israel, on December 16, 2023. He was accidentally killed by IDF forces after being held captive by Hamas. (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 71 of the war. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and US bureau chief Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz managed to escape Hamas captivity before they were mistakenly shot dead by troops on Friday morning at around 10 a.m. Hostage Yotam Haim, 28, was a drummer for the heavy metal band Persephore. Samar Talalka, 22, from Hura, was working in the Kibbutz Nir Am hatchery. Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26, a computer engineering student.

According to an IDF initial probe, the three hostages were shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood Friday. They were shirtless, and one of them was carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag.

We first hear from Schneider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's initial reactions and then how hundreds took to the streets Friday night in Tel Aviv to demand a return to hostage talks.

Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani last night in an effort to kickstart talks. Schneider tells us what is known so far.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated the US’s stance that the Palestinian Authority should be responsible for governing Gaza at the end of Israel’s war with Hamas, but acknowledged that it would need to undergo significant changes to be fit to do so. We also heard that Israel should set the timeline for the war with Hamas. Magid gives other high points of the visit.

Israeli leaders have been privately urging the Biden administration to refrain from publicly talking about the two-state solution in the fallout of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught, four Israeli and US officials told The Times of Israel this week. Magid updates on how that's going.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 16, 2023

Initial IDF probe: 3 hostages were shirtless, waving white flag when troops shot them

Hundreds march in Tel Aviv demanding hostage deal after IDF killed 3 in tragic error

Sullivan says Palestinian Authority must be ‘revamped’ before it can govern Gaza

Israel urging US not to talk publicly about two-state solution — 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: Families and supporters of hostages held by terrorists since the October 7 assault hold a demonstration outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on December 15, 2023. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

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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 70 of the war. Health editor Renee Ghert-Zand and reporter Shira Silkoff join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Ghert-Zand discusses the long-awaited visit by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, President Isaac Herzog and representatives of the families of the hostages, but offered no real response to the matters raised about the 135 hostages still in Gaza.

Silkoff speaks about the absence of a full female presence in the security cabinet and no women at all in the war cabinet, given the findings that female surveillance soldiers reported signs of unusual activity in Gaza well before October 7.

Ghert-Zand talks about the reports of an increase in mental health stress, as well as an increase in Covid cases in the hotels housing Israeli evacuees from the north and south.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 15, 2023

Visiting ICRC head tells PM public pressure won’t sway Hamas to allow hostage visits

For Israeli women, the IDF war room’s glass ceiling is constantly reinforced

Amid war’s mental health crisis, deal reached for more psychologists in public health system

Health Ministry says COVID cases in Israel up 10%, infections seen at evacuee hotels

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: Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza protest outside a Tel Aviv meeting of Red Cross International President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger on December 14, 2023 (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/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 69 of the war. Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

The US House has passed a resolution condemning controversial testimony last week by the presidents of Harvard University, The University of Pennsylvania, and MIT on campus antisemitism where they refused to clearly say whether a call for a genocide of Jews would violate the schools’ policies on harassment and hate speech. We use this as a jumping-off point to discuss what Rettig Gur saw during his time in the US last week

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 14, 2023

Harvard says president will keep job despite backlash over antisemitism comments

Times of War video series

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.

Illustrative image: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators display signs during a protest on December 10, 2023, in Mansfield, Massachusetts, held to call for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. (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 68 of the war. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and filmmaker Eli Katzoff, creator of our Times of War video series, join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

Israel awoke to the news of 10 fallen soldiers in Gaza. We’re hearing that many of the troops killed in Gaza that were announced this morning died in a series of blasts while searching buildings in a Gaza City suburb. Fabian fills us in on this tragic operation and what is happening on the ground in Gaza in general.

Of the 115 Israeli soldiers killed to date in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, 20 were killed by so-called friendly fire and other accidents. What is the army doing to prevent more such deaths?

Yesterday we heard the IDF announce that it had recovered the bodies of civilian Eden Zacharia and IDF Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, who were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. At the same time, this operation came at a terrible cost. Fabian speaks about the operation and the IDF's mandate to retrieve the fallen.

Finally, filmmaker Eli Katzoff speaks about the behind-the-scenes decision-making that goes into the ongoing Times of War video series, now featured on The Times of Israel.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 13, 2023

IDF troops in Gaza uncover arms, footage of Oct. 7 massacres as battles rage

IDF: Deaths of 20 out of 105 soldiers killed in Gaza op were friendly fire, accidents

IDF retrieves bodies of two hostages from Gaza: Eden Zacharia and Ziv Dado

Times of War video series

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.Illustrative image: Family and friends of Israeli soldier St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Zvika Lavi mourn at his funeral at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on December 12, 2023. (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 67 of the war. Diaspora affairs correspondent Canaan Lidor and Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Lidor discusses Kibbutz Nahal Oz's temporary quarters in another kibbutz, Mishmar Haemek in the Jezreel Valley, with disagreements among members about what's best for their community after October 7.

Wrobel talks about the drop in consumer sentiment since October 7, at levels last seen during the coronavirus pandemic, as Israelis don't have desire or funds to spend.

Lidor looks at surge in Torah scroll writing projects in the last two months, as communities -- religious and secular -- look for meaning and hope.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 12, 2023

Amid Hamas war, Israeli consumer confidence takes another dip in November

Pause in war gives traumatized Israelis a chance to visit home – or what’s left of it

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: Families of Hamas hostages dance at the Western Wall on November 21, 2023 with two new Torah scrolls dedicated to the return of the hostages and in memory of those killed on October 7 (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 66 of the war with Hamas. Arab affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

In the Gaza Strip, as casualties mount, we are hearing reports that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has lost Gazans’ support. According to testimony from former Hamas communications minister, Yousef al-Mansi, “People in the Gaza Strip say that Sinwar and his group destroyed us. We must get rid of them.” Pacchiani begins with telling us who Sinwar is, how he came to power and whether Gazans support him today.

Syrian-born journalist Manar al-Sharif is one of a handful of people persecuted by Hamas who managed to leave Gaza. She spoke with Pacchiani, who, through her experiences, describes why there haven't been any large-scale uprisings against the terrorist organization.

The small Jewish community in Cairo has decided not to hold celebrations of the Hanukkah festival in one of the city’s synagogues, amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Pacchiani explains why.

Last week, environmental experts called on the defense establishment to carefully weigh the long-term environmental implications of reported plans to flood the immense network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip with seawater to flush the terrorists out. We also hear about other impacts on the environment, as well as hopes that the rebuilding of the Gaza envelope settlements will include green thinking.

We end with an extraordinary tale of bravery: Oz Davidian rescued some 120 young people trying to escape the Supernova rave on October 7, as Hamas terrorists sprayed them with bullets, making 20 trips throughout the day.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog December 11, 2023

Ex-Hamas minister in interrogation: ‘Crazy people’ led by Sinwar ‘destroyed Gaza’

‘Life under Hamas is like under ISIS,’ says Syria-born journalist deported from Gaza

Fearing attacks, Jews in Egypt cancel public Hanukkah celebrations

Flooding Hamas tunnels could harm Gaza’s freshwater for generations, warns academic

Turn Gaza border area into model of sustainable development, green organization urges

Truck dashcam footage shows farmer dodging bullets as he saved 120 from music festival

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: Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, greets his supporters upon his arrival at a meeting in a hall on the sea side of Gaza City, on April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

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