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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari stated in a podcast that the issue of the two remaining bodies of hostages -- taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel -- is allowing Israel to potentially delay the next phase of the Trump peace plan. Horovitz weighs in on the readiness of both sides to move forward.

Yesterday, six years after he was indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a 111-page formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog, seeking an end to his long-running and unprecedented corruption trial. We remind listeners of the charges against the premier and the very public intervention by US President Donald Trump on his behalf. Netanyahu claims that ending his trials may help heal Israel -- but could it instead cause a greater rift?

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Dror Or of Kibbutz Be’eri, beloved father and cheesemaker, buried alongside his wife

Qatar says Hamas failure to return last two slain hostages can’t ‘obstruct’ Gaza plan

Netanyahu requests presidential pardon in corruption trial; doesn’t admit guilt

What to know about Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in his corruption trial

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

IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and President Isaac Herzog, right, attend a wreath-laying ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem, Israel, May 6, 2024. (Amir Cohen/Pool Photo via AP)

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

The commander of Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion, his deputy, and two other terror operatives were confirmed by the military to have been killed early this morning after attempting to flee a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. The soldiers there recovered the weapon of a slain IDF soldier, Staff Sgt. Or Mizrahi, a Nahal fighter who was killed while battling terrorists on the Gaza border during the October 7, 2023, onslaught. Fabian updates on the Hamas operatives trapped in the tunnels.

The IDF said it killed three Palestinians who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in two separate incidents in the Strip’s south on Saturday, with two of them identified as young children. Fabian was in the Gaza Strip last week: We learn how the IDF is operating along the Yellow Line and whether Gazans are aware of the demarcation.

Six Israeli soldiers were wounded, including three seriously, after coming under fire by gunmen during an arrest operation in southern Syria early Friday morning. While arrest operations in Syria are no longer unusual, they rarely are accompanied by gunfights. Fabian unravels what we know about the ambush.

Officers of the police’s elite Yamam unit detained a cell of five terror operatives in the northern West Bank that was planning an “imminent” attack, security forces said this morning. The arrest comes as the military is continuing to carry out a major counterterrorism operation in several northern West Bank towns. We hear about Hamas smuggling attempts into the West Bank and a much-examined incident in which Border Police officers are now under investigation over the fatal shooting on Thursday of two unarmed Palestinian terror suspects in the West Bank’s Jenin.

We end the program learning about Maj. Gen. (ret.) Dan Tolkowsky, the fifth commander of the Israeli Air Force and later a key figure in the development of Israel’s high-tech and venture capital sectors. He died overnight Friday in his home in Tel Aviv at the age of 104.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

IDF vows to hunt down dozens of Hamas fighters still holed up in Rafah

Brothers, 8 and 11, killed in south Gaza strike; IDF: ‘Suspects’ crossed Yellow Line

Six soldiers hurt in gun battle as IDF detains terror suspects in southern Syria

Attacker killed, IDF says, 60 reportedly detained in northern West Bank operation

Shin Bet says it foiled Hamas plot to smuggle arms into West Bank using Israelis

Border cops who killed unarmed terror suspects after surrender say they feared harm

Dan Tolkowsky, former air force commander and Israeli tech pioneer, dies at 104

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

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: This picture taken on June 8, 2025, shows a tunnel at the European Hospital during a controlled embed organized by the Israeli military, in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign For Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.

This summer, Alkhatib flew over Gaza as part of the last days of the United Arab Emirates's aid drop missions. It was the first time since he had seen his former home since leaving the enclave in 2005 for what was meant to have been a high school year abroad. To begin the program, Alkhatib relates how he felt viewing the swaths of destruction two years of war had left in its wake.

An outspoken anti-Hamas voice, Alkhatib promotes what he calls “radical pragmatism” through his work with the Atlantic Council and his speaking engagements around the world. No short on considered criticism for Israel's prosecution of the war sparked by Hamas's murderous onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, we learn of concrete steps that could be taken to drive out the terrorist organization.

We hear how Hamas is re-rooting itself into all aspects of the Strip's governance. Now that the terror regime has been reestablished, so has law and order, says Alkhatib, leaving Gazans stuck in a "safe-ish," but abusive relationship.

And so this week, we ask Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what matters now.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stand amid the destruction left by Israeli strikes north of Gaza City, November 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

Last week, US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in the White House, after which there were several announcements. Among them were a $1 trillion investment by the Saudis into the US economy, the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, advancements in critical minerals cooperation, and an AI Memorandum of Understanding.

Of course, the one announcement that Israel has been waiting for — Saudi normalization — did not come.

This week, we learn about the rise of the crown prince and how he's transformed his country.

We talk about how the gains in Washington correspond with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and whether normalization with Israel is even still on the table.

Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

This week, the pair speaks about two films, a feminist independent Iranian documentary called "Cutting Through Rocks," which won an international documentary award at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and the 1990 Thanksgiving classic, "Avalon."

But first, in the entertainment news section we call the "Jangle," Borschel-Dan tells Hoffman about the rise and fall of the Israeli rock opera, "Shaul," by Israeli musician Shlomo Artzi.

We also hear a listener's feedback on a point of Jewish law raised in last week's discussion over "Bad Shabbos."

Hear who gave both films a seal of approval and which was a split decision on this week's The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 for today's episode.

As US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to examine Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon to see whether those branches should be designated as terror organizations, Magid discusses that other countries were not included, including Turkey and Qatar, which have close ties to the US.

The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is wrapping up five months of operations in Gaza, saying that its model is being adopted by the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, while Magid notes that it appears the original UN-backed model is back in place in Gaza.

The US is trying to get construction efforts underway in Gaza, on the Israeli side of the yellow ceasefire line, with efforts to first clear rubble from the Rafah area to build alternative safe communities. Magid discusses the pushback from Israel's government coalition, which is concerned with the issue of Hamas disarmament, while it's also unclear if Gazans would want to live under Israeli control.

Magid also talks about the revelation that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a private meeting in July with Jonathan Pollard, the former US Navy analyst who served 30 years in a US prison for spying for Israel. Magid says there is widespread anger in the US administration regarding the meeting and the ongoing alignment of the US with Israel.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump launches process aimed at potentially sanctioning Muslim Brotherhood

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announces end of operations in Strip after 5 months

Construction of first US-backed housing compound said to begin this week in Rafah

Pollard: Anti-Israel elements in US administration leaked my Huckabee meeting to get him fired

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

IMAGE: Turkish charities, in partnership with Khan Yunis municipal bulldozers, remove the rubble from Palestinian homes and streets in the northern area of ​​Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on October 23, 2025 (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/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.

New York correspondent Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Last Wednesday, roughly 200 rowdy protesters disrupted an Israel-immigration event outside the Park East Synagogue. Tress was there and paints a picture of the events and the evolving responses from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

Days after US pro-Palestinian protesters shouted chants including “Globalize the Intifada” and “Death to the IDF” outside the Upper East Side synagogue, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, apologized to the congregation during Shabbat services. Is this allaying the community's fears?

We then dive into the question several lawfare groups are now asking: Can a US law protecting abortion clinics push back against protests at synagogues?

This week, anti-Zionist activist groups in New York City  backed a Muslim leader who led a walkout from a college interfaith event last week after decrying a fellow panelist as “Zionist.” We learn how the mass exodus was basically shrugged off by those in attendance -- but why it is important to illuminate this and other similar events.

Jewish groups at the University of Pennsylvania have expressed concern after federal authorities pressed the university in recent days to provide personal information about Jewish staffers in an investigation meant to combat antisemitism on campus. Tress untangles this saga.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Anti-Zionist protesters chant ‘Death to the IDF’ at New York City synagogue

‘We need to make them scared’: NYC synagogue protest crosses new red lines

NYPD chief apologizes for allowing ‘turmoil’ outside synagogue

Can a US law protecting abortion clinics push back against protests at synagogues?

Imam at NYC college interfaith event blames Jewish speaker for Gaza, leads walkout

NYC anti-Zionist groups back walkout from interfaith campus event to protest Hillel leader

Penn Jewish groups ‘concerned’ as feds seek info on Jews for antisemitism probe

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

IMAGE: The entrance to Park East Synagogue, with dueling protesters on each side, separated by police, in New York City, November 19, 2025. (Luke Tress/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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Since the ceasefire in Lebanon on November 28, 2024, there have been 331 killed and 945 wounded in Lebanon according to its Health Ministry.
Yesterday, the White House expressed its support for Israel’s right to defend itself following an IDF strike over the weekend that killed Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai. Horovitz discusses the differences in the mechanisms upholding the ceasefires in Lebanon and in Gaza, even as Hamas takes deeper root in the Strip.

The United Arab List party leader, Mansour Abbas, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “trying to steal the election” on Monday, after the premier appeared to threaten to outlaw the Arab political party (Ra’am in Hebrew, or "thunder," in English), on the grounds that it is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. We learn about the American context for Netanyahu's statement and hear how pivotal the Arab parties could be during this election year.

The public squabbling between IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz continued yesterday, drawing some in the defense echelons to worry that it is affecting Israel's deterrence. Horovitz weighs in.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US backs Israel’s right to defend itself after IDF strike on Hezbollah army chief

Body of hostage recovered in central Gaza, says Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Ra’am leader says PM ‘trying to steal elections’ after apparent hint at barring Arab party

Trump launches process aimed at potentially sanctioning Muslim Brotherhood

In escalating clash, IDF chief accuses Katz of harming military’s preparedness

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

IMAGE: Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on November 24, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/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.

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

Hezbollah’s military chief of staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, was killed in a Beirut suburb yesterday in a targeted strike that also killed another four Hezbollah operatives. We learn about Tabatabai and his previous roles in the terror organization, as well as his Iranian roots. And as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir launched a snap readiness drill on the northern border, Fabian weighs in on the likelihood of Hezbollah retaliation.

Over the past several days, there has been an uptick in IDF airstrikes after Palestinian gunman have opened fire on Israeli troops or risen from the tunnels they were trapped in. We also hear about military investigations that have reportedly revealed that Hamas spent years collecting sensitive intelligence on IDF bases and equipment, especially tanks and their operations, from soldiers’ social media activity, allowing the terror group to disable tanks and raid army bases during its October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel. What new steps are being taken to prevent this?

As Zamir begins a round of official dismissals of high-ranking staff for their roles leading up to the October 7, 2023, failures, Defense Minister Israel Katz continues to clash with the IDF Chief of Staff, saying that he has ordered the defense establishment comptroller to re-evaluate the findings made by an external panel of former senior officers that looked into the IDF's October 7 investigations. Fabian attempts to make sense of this power struggle.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

In escalation, IDF kills Hezbollah military chief in targeted Beirut strike

IDF on alert as Hezbollah weighs response to military chief’s killing

Hamas spent years mining IDF troops’ social media for intel on bases, tanks – report

IDF chief officially dimisses Oct. 7’s heads of intel, operations, Southern Command

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

IMAGE: This undated photo, released by Hezbollah Military Media, November 23, 2025, shows Hezbollah's military chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai. (Hezbollah Military Media vía AP)

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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 correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As Hamas leaders meet in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence officers to discuss the ceasefire, Berman says that the terrorist group wants to limit the ability of Israel to strike, and wants to deepen their control over 40% of the Gaza Strip, making it more inevitable that Hamas will be seen as the rulers of Gaza.

Berman discusses his second visit to the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, focusing on the American tone of the center and the civil governance and nation-building efforts underway at the site. He notes that the CMCC won't be the body that will force Hamas to disarm, which will only happen through Israel's military pressure or diplomatic pressure from Turkey and Egypt.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses several questions in an interview with Abu Ali Express, a popular local Telegram channel, says Berman, including ruling out a Palestinian state, while also discussing the possibility of Saudi normalization and continued talks with Turkey.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Top Hamas team said in Cairo to discuss escalation in Gaza, transition to 2nd stage of Trump plan

Optimism abounds at Gaza coordination center, but violence puts truce at risk

As US dives into remaking Gaza, shades of nation-building come into focus

Netanyahu: ‘There will not be a Palestinian state,’ even at cost of ties with Saudis

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

IMAGE: Islamic Jihad militants search for the bodies of hostages north of Nuseirat, Gaza strip, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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