The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Editor David Horovitz and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

We are on day 16 of the war instigated by Hamas’s bloody massacre of 1,400 — mostly civilians — on the morning of October 7. In addition to lives lost, the IDF has identified at least 212 hostages that are likely being held in Gaza. Our northern border is increasingly heating up and there is no lack of action in the West Bank. Horovitz speaks about what, in the midst of all this, is at stake here for Israel.

For the first time since it opened in 1954, last week Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa allowed reporters to see and photograph the dead bodies inside. Ghert-Zand reports.

Ghert-Zand brings to life three stories of extreme bravery she has encountered while touring hospitals: Nadav, a lifelong resident of Kibbutz Magen; Amichai Shindler from Kerem Shalom and Michal Elon, who helped treat wounded at the Zikim army base.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 22, 2023

Day 14 of the war: As the IDF prepares to enter Hamastan, Israel holds its breath

Foreign media given unprecedented access to forensic institute to witness atrocities

From his hospital bed, injured kibbutznik recounts how his community fended off Hamas

Young dad of 6 absorbed blast to protect family in attack on Kerem Shalom

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: People call on the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, October 21, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

We have closed two weeks of war here in Israel, war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 2,500 terrorists burst across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea. They killed some 1,400 people, the vast majority civilians from all walks of life, including entire families. The IDF has identified some 210 hostages so far, of all ages.
But two were freed last night into Egypt. Magid fills us in.

The first 20 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza on Saturday through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. These trucks moved into the Strip amid continued rocket fire toward southern and central Israel. We hear first of all who is sending the aid.

Finally, Jacob, you reported yesterday that a group of Israeli soldiers and settlers allegedly carried out a ruthless assault on three Palestinians in the central West Bank last week, days after the Hamas terror group’s October 7 onslaught in southern Israel. Has there been official confirmation of this alleged heinous attack?

Lidor describes the plight of hundreds of Israeli farmers from the Gaza envelope as supermarket shelves are empty.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 21, 2023

Hamas releases two hostages, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan

1st aid trucks enter Gaza as number of confirmed hostages held in Strip reaches 210

IDF, settlers allegedly bind, strip, beat, burn, urinate on 3 Palestinians in W. Bank

For Israeli farmers near Gaza, damage may be temporary but long-term crisis looms

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: This handout picture courtesy of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, taken on October 20, 2023, shows Natalie Raanan (L) and her mother Judith Raanan speaking on the phone with US President Joe Biden, after they were held hostage and later released by the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group. (US Embassy in Jerusalem/AFP)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

A US warship in the Red Sea intercepted 3 missiles fired from Yemen, possibly at Israel, last night. Fabian explains.

The IDF has declared that the northern city of Kiryat Shmona will now be evacuated. What does this indicate?

We hear about a slight slow-down of events on the southern border.

Senior Israeli officials says that the imminent large-scale ground campaign in the Gaza Strip to root out the Hamas terror group will be “difficult, long and intense.” Berman and Fabian delve into some of the tactics that may be employed as well as some of the tough decisions facing Israel.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid a visit to Jerusalem Thursday, becoming the latest in a train of Western leaders flying to Israel to show their support after the terror attacks of October 7. Berman explains what came out of his visit.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 20, 2023

US warship in Red Sea intercepts 3 missiles fired from Yemen, possibly at Israel

Top officials say Gaza ground offensive ‘soon,’ warn it will be ‘long and intense’

As Israel prepares massive ground campaign, the end game remains opaque

In Israel, UK leader Sunak backs Gaza offensive ‘in line with international law’

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 at a staging area not far from the Israeli-Gaza border, October 19, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. 

We are on day 13 of the war that Hamas instigation on October 7 in its murderous incursion into Israel which has left some 1,300 killed, hundreds wounded and 203 captive. Every day, more bodies are identified and the grieving continues.

The IDF reported today that it is still finding Hamas infiltrators here in Israel and that it estimates there are now 203 hostages in Gaza. Fabian updates us.

While the ground incursion is still on hold, what offensive steps has the IDF been taking in the last few days?

There have been increased arrests of Hamas terrorists in the West Bank over the past week and even as President Joe Biden was here, more rockets fell and action took place on the northern border. We hear updates on developments there, as well as reports of air strikes on Syria.

President Joe Biden was here yesterday for a solidarity visit. Goren gives bullet points from the trip and discusses its fallout.

On Monday, the security cabinet pushed off a vote on controversial regulations proposed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi that would empower him to shut down foreign media outlets. Goren describes a shrinking of freedom of the press.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 19, 2023

Northern border heats up with fresh rocket fire, Hezbollah attacks on IDF posts

Biden to Israelis: ‘Justice must be done,’ but don’t let rage guide wartime decisions

Biden: World did nothing in the Holocaust. We will not stand by and do nothing again

Vote on plan to shutter Al Jazeera delayed as legal concerns surface

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: US President Joe Biden is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 18, 2023, in Lod. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

An explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip last night killed potentially hundreds. There are different versions of who is to blame for the disaster. Berman and Rettig Gur weigh in on the facts and the fury on social media.

President Joe Biden is in Israel. The hospital disaster has cast a pall over his solidarity visit and planned meetings with neighboring states have already been cancelled. Berman explains.

Rettig Gur talks about an interview he conducted with the head of Israel’s mobile Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Be warned, graphic violence is described.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 18, 2023

Haters won’t be swayed, but Hamas lies about Gaza hospital blast are being exposed

Israel says Islamic Jihad rocket misfire caused blast near Gaza hospital

Biden to ask ‘tough questions as a friend’ on Israel visit overshadowed by Gaza blast

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: Palestinians check the site of a deadly explosion near Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, October 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and diaspora reporter Canaan Lidor join host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Magid reports on US involvement in hostage negotiations through UN, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, given lack of direct relations with Hamas. He also discusses US push on Israel to have a longer-term plan for Gaza Strip.

Lidor describes US citizens boarding a ship at Haifa port as part of US evacuation efforts.

Magid adds more information about decision of US President Joe Biden to make quick, hours-long solidarity visit to Israel Wednesday.

Lidor speaks about interviews in southern town of Netivot, where poverty interferes with residents' desires to take a break from their town hard-hit by rocket fire and Hamas attack.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 17, 2023

Biden to make wartime ‘solidarity’ visit to Israel on Wednesday

US pressing Israel to devise strategy for scenario of Hamas’s rule being toppled

IDF notifies relatives of 199 people that their loved ones are Gaza hostages

At Haifa port, evacuating Israeli-Americans feel torn between family and country

In order to cook for tens of thousands, Tel Aviv restaurants kasher their kitchens

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: US citizens in Israel board ship at Haifa port to be evacuated to Cyprus, on October 16, 2023. (Photo by Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian, political reporter Carrie Keller Lynn and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

We are on day 10 of the war in Israel. The United States has organized a ship to transport US citizens this morning from the Haifa port to Cyprus as the fighting heats up and the ground incursion into Gaza is imminent. Fabian updates on the checklist which needs to be accomplished before IDF forces move in.

We hear about what has been happening on the northern border in the past several days. The IDF is to evacuate civilians from 28 communities along the Lebanese border. How is such a large-scale evacuation accomplished?

Pacchiani updates on an even larger-scale evacuation: the one million in northern Gaza who have been ordered to go south.

Keller-Lynn reported alongside a mission of foreign ambassadors from evacuated Sderot yesterday. She sets the scene for us.

The Knesset is reopening today. We hear about the goals of the emergency government.

Pacchiani focuses on 20 percent of the country’s citizenry, Arab Israelis, and how they are experiencing this troubled time.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 16, 2023

IDF to evacuate civilians from 28 communities along Lebanese border amid attacks

Two killed in renewed Hezbollah missile attacks; IDF restricts Lebanon border area

Wartime Knesset’s first bill will be to push back municipal elections until January

As exodus turns Sderot into a ghost town, some stay as a reminder of what’s at stake

‘We’re in this together.’ To Hamas, all citizens are targets, say Arab Israelis

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

IMAGE: Israeli soldiers walk around the destruction caused during the October 7, 2023, murderous rampage by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Israeli-Gaza border, October 15, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Editor David Horovitz and reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Israel is now in its 9th day of war, and we all await an expected ground incursion into Gaza. Today, the United States has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region. Horovitz shares what he sees as America's role in supporting Israel during this war.

On Friday, Horovitz wrote about Israelis’ potent mix of rage and unity. He elaborates on the unique unity seen on streets today.

Surkes explores the issue of reservists’ needs and shares the newest developments.

And finally, we hear the heart-pounding story of a brother saving another brother, through a high-speed chase and facing dozens of Hamas gunmen at moshav Ein Habesor.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 15, 2023

US sends second aircraft carrier to east Mediterranean to deter Iran, Hezbollah

Day 7 of the war: Rage and unity in Israel’s darkest hour

Planeloads of combat gear arriving, will get to soldiers soon – IDF, Defense Ministry

IDF says it’s providing all equipment. Reservists find different reality on ground

Heart-stopping accounts of bravery emerge from a town that repelled Hamas onslaught

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

IMAGE: A scene from the 1300 Candle Vigil in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, on October 12, 2023. (Eli Katzoff)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian, political correspondent Tal Schneider and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. 

We are a week into the bloody Hamas infiltration into Israel in the early hours of October 7, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

Fabian begins by describing how the northern border has heated up in the past day.

The IDF gave Gaza residents until 16:00 today to evacuate. At the same time, the air force has continued to launch strikes in the strip. Who were the most recent targets?

Fabian reported today that the Israel Defense Forces says troops have arrested 280 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including 157 affiliated with Hamas, since fighting began last weekend in southern Israel. Are these signs of a third "front"?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a prime-time speech on Friday night -- which was news in itself. Schneider explains. 

Ghert-Zand reports on the preparedness of the underground hospital at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa and how -- and if -- foreign medical professionals can volunteer in Israel. 

Schneider gives us a very sad update on her friend and neighbor, Sharon Hirsch, fled the October 7 massacre at the Supernova outdoor party.

We end with a more uplifting note in which Ghert-Zand describes an initiative in which Israeli women are banking breast milk. 

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 14, 2023

IDF kills two Hamas commanders in Gaza involved in murderous attack on south

IDF again strikes Hezbollah after drones from Lebanon intercepted over north

Hezbollah fires 30 mortars, IDF hits anti-tank team in latest Lebanon border clashes

IDF says it arrested 280 Palestinians across West Bank since Hamas assault

Netanyahu tours scenes of Hamas assault for first time

Netanyahu slammed for sparking panic with very rare Shabbat address to the nation

Amid northern jitters, Haifa’s fortified underground hospital readies for war

Health Ministry invites medical professionals to sign up for volunteer work in case of escalation

Health Ministry issues directives for national breast milk bank during war

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

IMAGE: Rooad blocks in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, October 13, 2023. (Ayal Margolini/Flash90

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Jessica Steinberg.

We are now on Day 7 of the war with Hamas. Berman and Lidor recount their drive down south on Route 232, the scenes of carnage, with pick-up trucks and belongings of Hamas terrorists strewn on the ground, along with their bodies, giving a sense as to what they were planning for the long haul.

Lidor describes "death avenue" in Beeri, the stench of death in the street, the sealed rooms of homes that became death traps, the burned homes and cars.

Berman updates on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel on Thursday, and what his upcoming meetings in Jordan and Qatar could portend for the ongoing war.

Lidor also explains what happened in Ofakim on October 7, with a more detailed description of the 15-hour siege in Rachel and David Edry's house, where five terrorists holed up, eventually taken out by Israeli security forces.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog October 13, 2023

Once an artery of thriving southern region, Route 232 transformed into road of death

Be’eri’s residents are gone, but their homes attest to the horrors they endured

Amid the devastation of Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel keeps pulling bodies from the rubble

Blinken in Tel Aviv: As long as US exists, Israel won’t have to defend itself alone

As reservists mobilize, some moved up weddings as well

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

IMAGE: The destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri, near the Israeli-Gaza border, October 11, 2023. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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