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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

President Isaac Herzog announced Wednesday that US President Donald Trump had written him to ask him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Magid brings other instances in which the US president has pushed for the end of Netanyahu's trial and describes the contents of this new “Free Bibi” letter.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said “there’s some concern” about events in the West Bank undermining efforts to maintain the ceasefire in Gaza, in his first remarks on the latest spate of settler violence. This comes after a week in which dozens of Israelis launched a large-scale arson attack on Palestinians in the West Bank, targeting factories and farmland between the major cities of Nablus and Tulkarem. Magid reports on Rubio's statements, gives the context for them, and explains how they mark a departure for the Trump administration.

Early this week, Magid exclusively reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas fired his finance minister for allowing payments to Palestinian security prisoners through an old mechanism -- often called “pay-to-slay.” These stipends are awarded to the prisoners or their families, giving them monthly salaries based on the length of their sentence, which correlates to the severity of the crimes. We hear why these payments raise such red flags for Israelis and Americans.

Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House on Monday and made a media splash as the former terrorist was shot shooting hoops and enjoying Trump's branded cologne. In an interview with The Washington Post, al-Sharaa claimed the US president supports his insistence on a complete Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory as a condition for a comprehensive security deal between the long-warring neighboring countries. Magid weighs in.

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Central Asian, Muslim-majority country of Kazakhstan will be the first country to join the Abraham Accords in his second term. Since the nation established diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in 1992, shortly after it broke away from the Soviet Union, what does either country gain by this step?

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

For further reading:

Trump writes to Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu amid ‘unjustified’ trial

What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: The case for pardoning Netanyahu

Rubio says ‘there’s some concern’ West Bank violence could undermine Gaza ceasefire

France says it will help draft constitution for Palestinian state as Abbas visits Paris

Abbas fires his finance minister over illicit payments to Palestinian prisoners — sources

Sharaa says Trump backs demand for Israel to withdraw forces from Syrian territory

Kazakhstan, which already has relations with Israel, to join Abraham Accords

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: President Donald Trump walks with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, left, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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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.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol and tech editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again declined to form a state commission of inquiry into the events that led up to October 7 in a Knesset debate, Sokol discusses that members of the prime minister's own Likud party have argued in favor of the commission process.

A death penalty policy against terrorist acts passed its first reading in the plenum after many delays. Sokol notes that the bill is unlikely to pass the High Court test, as it applies to those who kill Israelis, but not to Jewish terrorists. 

Remilk, non-cow-based milk, is about to reach the Israeli market and Wrobel describes the makeup of the milk and its development process.

As the Israeli tech community in New York City anticipates the arrival of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Wrobel discusses expectations for whether the pro-Palestinian mayor will be hostile to Israeli businesses and freeze them out of government contracts.

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

For further reading:

Netanyahu bucks calls for state inquiry into Oct. 7, claims public won’t trust it

Knesset advances bill mandating death penalty for terrorists who killed Israelis

Lab-made milk set to start pouring into Israeli dairy aisles, cafes

Mamdani win rattles Israeli business community in New York City

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: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 40 signatures debate in the Knesset on November 10, 2025 (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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and Jewish world reporter Zev Stub join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

In an indication of the uptick of events along Israel’s northern border, IDF troops conducted an overnight raid in southern Lebanon and destroyed several buildings that were being used by Hezbollah, the military says. This is the second ground operation inside Lebanon in the past several days, conducted outside of the five points Israel now holds inside its neighbor. We learn about the IDF's outlook for a stepped-up conflict.

Upon assuming office, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir appointed a panel of former senior military officers to conduct an external investigation into the series of the IDF's internal probes in its failures on and ahead of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught. Fabian explores the new panel's findings and where the IDF needs to fill in holes.

Itai Ofir will become the military advocate general later this month after Defense Minister Israel Katz ratified his appointment Sunday. He will succeed Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned and admitted to authorizing the leak of the Sde Teiman detainee abuse video. Fabian describes an unusual rank jump that Ofir will need to be given to assume the role.

After a dramatic negotiation process with several surprise turns, the next leadership of the World Zionist Organization has been selected. Just ahead of recording, Stub learned that Rabbi Doron Perez, chairman of the religious Zionist World Mizrachi movement and father of Cpt. Daniel Perez, who was killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, will split the five-year term with the incumbent chairman of the WZO, Yaakov Hagoel.

Last week, Yad Vashem, Israel’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center, said that it has recovered the names of five million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, a milestone it called “historic” in its decades-long mission to restore the identities of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis.
As part of its mission to mark every one of those six million as an individual, the museum wing has opened a new exhibit with deeply personal affects. Stub was at the new exhibit and reports back.

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

For further reading:

External panel appointed by IDF chief finds most of army’s Oct. 7 probes inadequate

Katz okays Itai Ofir as next IDF legal chief, despite Netanyahu’s reported objection

Lapid rips up ‘corrupt’ WZO leadership deal, opens door for Yair Netanyahu appointment

World Zionist Congress devolves into chaos after Yair Netanyahu tapped for key role

WZO heads likely to throw out thousands of suspect ballots as they meet on voter fraud

Yad Vashem says it has compiled 5 million names of Jews murdered in Holocaust

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: Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the village of Teir Debba, southern Lebanon, November 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

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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 and diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As US special envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the state of the ceasefire, Berman reports on the diplomatic push and pull with Hamas and the delayed release of hostage bodies, in violation of said ceasefire.

Berman notes that the US and Turkey are currently pressuring Israel to allow the safe release of some 100 Hamas fighters holed up in Gaza tunnels located on the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow ceasefire line in southern Gaza's Rafah in exchange for yesterday's release of Hadar Goldin's body, although that release was part of the initial hostage deal.

Berman discusses the lack of IAEA investigations into new Iranian nuclear sites, as Iran appears to be preparing for another round of the conflict with Israel.

He also talks about the diplomatic situation with Hezbollah, as Lebanon's disarmament of the terrorist group seems to be taking place at a slower pace than its rearmament, creating the potential for another Israeli operation to the north.

Following the release home of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin, Freiberg discusses the relentless struggle by the Goldin family over eleven years and their repeated calls to take a more aggressive stance against Hamas, criticizing any deterrence or concessions taken with the terror group.

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

For further reading:

Netanyahu meets with Kushner on Gaza ceasefire, remaining hostages

Another Israel-Iran war increasingly seen as just a matter of time, NYT reports

Israel said to accuse Lebanese army of failing to prevent Hezbollah from rearming

Hamas announces it will return body of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, held since 2014

After decade of deadlock, return of Hadar Goldin’s body may bring closure to captive nation

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: Leah and Simcha Goldin, parents of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin, offer a statement after the release home of their son's body outside their Kfar Saba home on November 9, 2025 (Yehoshua Yosef/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.

Hamas announced that the body of IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin, held by the terror organization since 2014, will be returned to Israel at 2 p.m. We learn about Operation Protective Edge, the Hamas operation to ostensibly recover Goldin’s body that occurred yesterday, as well as what’s happening with the 150-odd Hamas gunmen who are trapped in a tunnel in the same part of the southern Gaza strip in an IDF-controlled area.

Military representatives on Saturday morning notified the family of Lior Rudaeff that his body was returned to Israel by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Friday night, after forensic experts completed their identification. Fabian describes what we know of Rudaeff's killing on October 7, 2023.

Former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was hospitalized this morning. This comes a day after her elusive phone was discovered on a Tel Aviv beach by passersby. Fabian takes up the thread of the Hollywood-esque narrative about Tomer-Yerushalmi, who is accused of multiple crimes, including obstruction of justice. We also hear about Itai Ofer, who has been named as Tomer-Yerushalmi's replacement, and the obstacles he faces to secure the role.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he was “declaring war” on weapon smuggling via drones over the Egyptian border, instructing the military to declare a closed military zone in the area and the Shin Bet to define such attempts as terrorism. Fabian describes the uptick in smuggling and weighs in on the measures currently taken against it.

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

For further reading:

Hamas claims to recover body of Hadar Goldin, IDF soldier killed and abducted in 2014 war

PM rules out granting safe passage to 200 Hamas gunmen stuck in IDF-held Rafah

Body of Lior Rudaeff returned from Gaza; he died battling Islamic Jihad terrorists on Oct. 7

Ex-IDF legal chief sent to house arrest, as her missing phone is found in the sea

Katz taps ex-Defense Ministry legal adviser as next military advocate general after scandal

Katz orders IDF to declare Egyptian border closed military zone over drone smugglings

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.

Check out yesterday’s episode here:

https://youtu.be/fiPzmecX8RM?si=EhCcG0fiPRv16R9U

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Troops investigate a Hamas attack tunnel in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued on August 23, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

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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 ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman.

The duo beta-tests their soon-to-be-launched podcast series — so new it does not yet have a name — in which they will deliver entertainment news from a Jewish angle (aka Jangle) and review one new or noteworthy film.

This week, in episode zero, the pair first discusses the growing boycott of Israeli filmmakers at international festivals. Hoffman weighs in on how this is misfiring when it comes to some of the more prominent -- and very left-wing -- Israeli artists.

Next, we hear about "Nuremberg," the Hollywood treatment of the Nuremberg Trials, which began in November 1945, launching the field of international law.

In the film, psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is ordered to evaluate whether Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) is fit to stand trial. As the highest-ranking surviving Nazi military commander, to the Allied lawyers, Göring is the "big fish" that must be landed.

Borschel-Dan and Hoffman give their differing opinions of the movie and agree to disagree.

And so this week, we ask Jordan Hoffman, 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: Jordan Hoffman (courtesy) / Rami Malek and Russell Crowe attend the 'Nuremberg' AFI Fest red carpet premiere screening at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2025, in Hollywood, California. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Classics/AFP)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday 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.

On Thursday afternoon, the IDF launched a wave of strikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets. These come amid a marked uptick in IDF strikes in southern Lebanon over the past several weeks, as reports continue that the Hezbollah terror group is attempting to rearm and regroup.

A recent Reuters report reported for the first time that Lebanon's army has blown up so many Hezbollah arms caches that it has run out of explosives and a recent Wall Street Journal report cites experts stating that Hezbollah is rebuilding, raising the chances of renewed conflict with Israel.

It's almost a year into the ceasefire, which was struck on November 27, and we discuss the forces attempting to contain Hezbollah, including Israel, Lebanon and the US.

Where is the conflict headed even as Lebanon’s year-end deadline to disarm the terror group approaches?

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

IMAGE: Mourners carry the coffins of five Hezbollah killed in Israeli strikes in recent days, during their funeral procession in the southern town of Nabatieh, Lebanon, November 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

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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 discussions continue about Jared Kushner's concept of 'new Gaza,' residential neighborhoods constructed for Gazans on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line, Magid discusses the lack of support for the plans from some of the Gulf donor countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Those countries have concerns that the plan maintains the status quo of Israeli control and leaves Hamas entrenched in Gaza.

There are also questions as to which countries are ultimately willing to send troops to guard borders and help deliver aid, and whether those troops will be involved in peacekeeping missions or peace-enforcing missions, says Magid, noting that the US wants the missions to demilitarize Gaza.

The US is pushing Israel on the matter of offering safe passage for a couple of hundred Hamas operatives still in Gaza tunnels, either letting them go back to the Hamas side of the yellow ceasefire line, says Magid, or offering them safe passage to another country, while forcing them to give up their weapons.

The issue of allowing the press into Gaza now that there is a ceasefire in place is also being pushed by the US. Magid notes that Israel's High Court of Justice gave the government 30 days to update its position. US President Donald Trump is also weighing in, says Magid, who notes that it is more likely to be settled in Israel's High Court.

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

For further reading:

US looks to build ‘new Gaza’ on half of Strip under IDF control, but faces pushback

US pressures Israel to allow safe passage for 100 to 200 Hamas operatives in Rafah

With ceasefire in place, US renews request for Israel to allow foreign press into Gaza

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: Palestinians seen along the Gaza City seafront, following the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, October 18, 2025 (Ali Hassan/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.

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

Democrat Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The far-left anti-Israel activist, a state assemblymember, is, at 34, the city’s youngest mayor in over a century.

We talk about concerns among some of New York’s large Jewish community and early reactions from communal organizations.

Mamdani has previously stated his intention not to invest city funds in Israel bonds, in keeping with the current comptroller’s decision not to reinvest when $39 million in bonds matured in 2023. In May 2023, Mamdani, then a member of the New York State Assembly, introduced a bill called “Not on our dime!: Ending New York funding of Israeli settler violence act.” Tress weighs in on what powers Mamdani has to enact his ideological anti-Israel stance.

And finally, we discuss a cartoon from the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese. Last week, Albanese posted a cartoon denouncing Israel, depicting what appears to be a global spiderweb, in an image that experts said echoed age-old antisemitic tropes. We hear what Tress heard from experts.

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

For further reading:

Body of IDF soldier Itay Chen, killed fighting Hamas on Oct. 7, returned to Israel

Far-left, anti-Israel candidate Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race

‘Pit in my stomach’: As Cuomo concedes, Jewish supporters ‘torn apart’ by Mamdani win

As NY assemblyman, Mamdani pushed bill barring nonprofits from ‘supporting Israeli settlement activity’

UN’s Albanese posts cartoon echoing age-old anti-Jewish spiderweb trope

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: Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party, November 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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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.

The intrigue surrounding the leaked surveillance camera footage from the Sde Teiman detention facility is unabating as a search continues at Hatzuk Beach in Tel Aviv for the phone of the former military advocate general, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, whom police reportedly suspect of intentionally tossing it into the sea when she briefly disappeared Sunday evening. Horovitz updates us on the complicated case implicating the Military Advocate General’s Office and its many dramatic moments in the past few days.

The Trump administration’s draft UN Security Council resolution to establish an international force in Gaza would reportedly give the US and other participating countries a broad two-year mandate to govern Gaza and be in charge of security there, according to an Axios report. We discuss the implications for such a step and whether it could be a way of bypassing the idea of a council of Palestinian technocrats ruling the strip.

As media watchdog groups are denouncing a bill from the Communications Ministry that passed its first reading yesterday, saying that it is a step towards the end of free press and that the legislation would “give the government political control” over content and news broadcasts. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi claims it is a way to take the news out of the hands of the monopoly of billionaires who own the media. Horovitz discusses some of the details of the bill and why many are concerned.

During an era of public fissure in Israel, prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated 30 years ago today. Horovitz weighs in on that terrible day and why he insists there is hope for bridging Israel's gaps and moving toward societal healing.

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

For further reading:

IDF’s former top lawyer said to have approved leak of abuse video in group chat

Timeline of a scandal: The 17 months of the Sde Teiman abuse and video leak affair

Draft UN resolution would grant US and partners two-year mandate to govern Gaza

Likud minister’s contentious media regulation bill passes first reading in Knesset

Three decades on, a return to Rabin Square gives the slain premier’s right-hand man hope

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: US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media as US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner stand next to him, in Kiryat Gat, Israel, October 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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