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.

We begin the program by describing the joy and relief experienced by families of released hostages -- and all Israelis -- as they were reunited with their loved ones.

However, Hamas handed over the bodies of only four dead hostages, with Israel and the families of the remaining 24 accusing the terror group of breaching its commitments under the ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that it will take time before the bodies of all the dead hostages are returned, calling it a “massive challenge” given the difficulties of finding remains amid Gaza’s rubble. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that it will hold an emergency meeting tonight as anger mounts.

Yesterday afternoon, after the 20 living hostages had returned home, US President Donald Trump spoke at the Knesset and declared “the historic dawn of the new Middle East.” Trump said it marked “not only the end of war, but the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.” Horovitz paints a picture of the atmosphere at the Knesset and delves into noteworthy statements.

Following his Knesset speech, Trump met with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey and signed a document in Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at enshrining the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. Today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will seek the support of Gulf states, the United States and Europe for the reconstruction of Gaza under the new ceasefire deal, and he believes project financing will be provided swiftly. We discuss the viability of a phase two of Trump's peace plan.

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

For further reading:

All 20 remaining living hostages return to Israel, after over 2 years in Hamas captivity

Slain hostage’s mother: Government betrayed families whose loved ones remain in Gaza

Israel frees nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds of terror convicts

Rapturously received in the Knesset, Trump tells Israel it won the war, now it’s time for peace

Full text of Trump’s Knesset speech: You’ve won. You can’t beat the world. It’s time for peace

At Sharm summit, Trump and world leaders sign up for peace in Gaza, with Netanyahu absent

Hamas said to kill over 30 Gazans as group moves to reassert its grip on Strip

Hamas reappears on Gaza’s streets, and two of three militias that fought it go quiet

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: A woman, left, wrapped with an Israeli flag with the photo of one of her best friend Itay Chen, who was killed in Hamas' attack on October 7, is embraced at the plaza known as Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

All 20 living hostages were released in two stages this morning. Fabian speaks about their releases and their status. We hear about some of the more well-known faces among them and how they are faring today.

Shortly before releasing them, the Hamas terror group on Monday morning orchestrated video calls between some of the living hostages and their families, who were anxiously awaiting their return.

As we recorded just ahead of the Simhat Torah holiday in Israel, US President Donald Trump had just finished a long and colorful speech to the Knesset, in which, among other statements, he firmly announced the end of the Gaza War. Fabian summarizes Israel's losses and wounded in the war.

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

For further reading:

Hamas stages video calls between hostages, families in lieu of handover ceremonies

‘You hero’: Emotional videos show returned hostages reuniting with their families

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: People hold Israeli flags in celebration after the arrival of freed hostages at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, following their release from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Tal Schneider and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

What may have been the final Saturday night protest calling for the release of the hostages took place last night in Tel Aviv. In an unprecedented appearance, on stage at Hostages Square were US envoy Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and his wife, the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

Schneider describes the scene at the square and gives highlights from Kushner's speech.

Has Israel fully signed on to end the war? Overnight Thursday-Friday, the cabinet voted on and ratified the implementation of phase one of the Trump plan to end the war and bring peace to Gaza. But only phase one. Schneider, who spent several days digging into the issue, explains.

The Israel Defense Forces completed a withdrawal to agreed-upon deployment lines in the Gaza Strip on Friday at noon, officially beginning a ceasefire and a 72-hour countdown during which Hamas is to release the 48 hostages it is holding under the first phase of the US-brokered deal. Fabian delves into where the troops are now and what to expect from the hostages' release.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will reportedly keep its aid distribution sites in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip shuttered over the coming days, during the release of the hostages held by Hamas. Fabian explains what we know about the continued efforts of the GHF now that the IDF has left areas where it was operating.

And finally, Fabian describes an early Saturday morning strike that bombed hundreds of heavy engineering vehicles the IDF said were being used by Hezbollah to rebuild its infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Could this sort of strike be a model for how the IDF will operate in the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire?

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

For further reading:

Trump to visit Israel on Monday for 4 hours, address Knesset, meet PM and hostage families

‘Miracles can happen, the hostages are coming home,’ Witkoff tells packed Hostages Square

At Hostages Square, Trump’s envoys gave Netanyahu a lesson in leadership

Release of hostages set to begin Monday morning, Hamas and Israel say

Witkoff visits Gaza base as ceasefire holds and displaced Palestinians return home

The living hostages expected to be released from Gaza under the ceasefire deal

IDF says strikes in Lebanon destroyed hundreds of Hezbollah construction vehicles

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: A man wearing a mask resembling US President Donald Trump holds a sign designed like a Nobel Peace Prize medal during a rally in support of hostages held by Hamas, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 The Times of Israel's senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, marking two years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on southern Israel.

To gain a sense of the Israeli public sentiment after two years of war, Rettig Gur analyzes a new survey conducted by Agam Labs and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Nimrod Nir and Dr. Gayil Talshir.

The researchers found, in surveying  2,170 Jewish Israelis and 459 Arab Israelis, that there is a drastic shift in Israelis' perceptions of their society and politicians. 

In one of the more dramatic findings, the report states that the initial unity found in the early months of the war has flipped to a division: from 77% in 2023 saying the war “united society” to 66% in 2025 saying it made society more divided.

Pointing to Israel's strengths and human capital, Rettig Gur leaves us with an optimistic framing of the internal work that needs to be done, even as Israel has largely defeated its greatest enemies.

And so this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur, 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: On October 7, 2025, thousands assemble in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, to watch the broadcast of the Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony marking two years since the October 7, 2023, massacre. (Paulina Patimer)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted early Friday morning in favor of a Gaza ceasefire deal that will see hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners and a halt to the fighting, despite vocal objections from the premier’s far-right coalition partners. Magid fills us in on who voted for what.

The Israel Defense Forces has begun its withdrawal to new lines inside of the Gaza Strip, 72 hours after which Hamas will release all the hostages. Magid expands on how much territory the IDF will hold under the "Yellow Line" and how it may respond to threats.

And we learn about plans for a US military team of 200 people that will be deployed in the Middle East to “oversee” the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Finally, we hear a full episode of the Friday Focus with Lazar Berman, "Is Israel's Hamas problem solved?"

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

For further reading:

Gaza ceasefire takes effect as government approves deal to free the hostages

From Doha strike to Sharm el-Sheikh breakthrough: How US brokered elusive Gaza deal

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: IDF forces operate in the Gaza Strip in this October 9, 2025, handout image. (IDF)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

US President Donald Trump announced overnight Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the “first phase” of his plan to secure the release of all hostages and end the Gaza war, two years and a day after the fighting was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 in southern Israel, with another 250 taken hostage to Gaza.

Speculation had mounted that an announcement was imminent after photographers managed to snap photos of a note that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed to Trump during a White House meeting. Trump later took to his Truth Social platform, saying, “This means that ALL of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw [its] troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting Peace.”

Trump’s announcement of the agreement set off a flood of emotion early Thursday morning among freed captives and families and Israelis gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where mass weekly rallies have been held to call for the hostages’ return, cheering the news and chanting, “Nobel Prize to Trump.”

In Gaza as well, residents cheered the news of the deal even as the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee cautioned that the area north of Wadi Gaza — the northern part of the Strip — is still defined as a combat zone.

Magid takes us through what we know of the pressures that pushed all sides to sign onto the deal and what obstacles remain. We hear about the probable timeline for the release of the hostages -- and a victory-lap visit by Trump to the region next week.

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

For further reading:

Trump announces deal reached on first part of his Gaza plan: ‘All hostages will be freed very soon’

Ex-captives and hostage families respond with tears, relief to news of upcoming release

Trump, after securing deal: ‘This is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East’

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: People dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 negotiating heavyweights White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer arrive for talks in Egypt, Magid surmises that it's crunch time for the potential Gaza deal. He expects discussions to revolve around thornier issues, such as disarming Hamas, and which Palestinian prisoners the terrorist group is demanding in exchange for the remaining hostages.

Following the Kumu (Rise Again) ceremony held to mark October 7 in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, Steinberg discusses the speakers, singers and audience at the event, which is run by bereaved and hostage family members, and is not an official government event.

Steinberg also talks about "Red Alert," the new October 7 drama series about four intertwined stories of survivors from that day.

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

For further reading:

PM’s office reports progress in talks on Gaza deal as top negotiators set to join

Trump ‘pretty sure’ there will be a Gaza deal, denies telling PM to not be ‘f*cking negative’

As negotiators head to Egypt, Trump aims for ‘first phase’ of Gaza deal this week

‘We will rise’: Grief, defiance and hope as 30,000 gather in Tel Aviv two years after Oct. 7

Oct. 7 series ‘Red Alert’ a harrowing global reminder of what unfolded in Hamas massacre

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: At the end of the Kumu (Rise Again) October 7 ceremony in Tel Aviv, on October 7, 2025 (Courtesy Eclipse Media)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

News editor Amy Spiro joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, highlighting eight individuals from our Those We Have Lost project, which memorializes the 1,200 who were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The first entry was written on October 11, 2023, when the number of the murdered was still unclear and funerals were held around the clock.

Today, with 1,250 individual entries covering almost every single person killed by Hamas and dozens of soldiers who fell in the war, headed up by Spiro, our Those We Have Lost project paints a picture of each of their lives and the ongoing ripple effects of their deaths.

For this episode, we focus on eight immigrants to Israel who lost their lives at the very beginning of the war. They include: Carol Siman Tov, 70, from the United States; Haim Zohar, 73, from Iran; Staff Sgt. Binyamin Loeb, 23, from France; Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, 29, from Ethiopia; Silvia Mirensky, 80, from Argentina; Dr. Victoria & Prof. Sergey Gredeskul, 81, from Ukraine; Sgt. Emil Eliav Samoylov, 22, from Russia; and Jake Marlowe, 26, from England.

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

For further reading:

Carol Siman Tov, 70: Native of Pennsylvania and dedicated nurse

Haim Zohar, 73: Loving grandfather with dementia slain in Be’eri

Staff Sgt. Binyamin Loeb, 23: Orthodox paratrooper son of French rabbi

Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, 29: Police officer left behind newborn

Silvia Mirensky, 80: Argentine immigrant who loved kibbutz life

Dr. Victoria & Prof. Sergey Gredeskul, 81: Acclaimed BGU scientists

Sgt. Emil Samoylov, 22: Lone soldier immigrated from Russia to enlist

Jake Marlowe, 26: British-Israeli musician for UK band Desolated

Those we have lost

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump was asked by CNN what would happen if the Hamas terror group didn't relinquish power. Trump responded by text, “Complete obliteration!” Be that as it may, as Berman says, the Hamas terror group is treating the current talks in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh as yet another round of negotiations. We learn about who is in the room where it may happen and what Hamas is demanding.

Skirmishes are ongoing in Gaza despite a pause in offensive activity by Israeli forces. The IDF is reporting that it carried out a number of airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks yesterday and troops on the ground are carrying out defensive operations. Berman explains what "defensive operations" entail when there are tens of thousands of troops on the ground in the Gaza Strip.

And finally, we speak about the large intercepted flotilla and the status of the hundreds of activists that were aboard. We learn that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will be among more than 70 people of different nationalities to leave Israel on Monday, even as another flotilla is on the horizon this week.

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

For further reading:

As negotiators head to Egypt, Trump urges ‘first phase’ of Gaza deal this week

Hamas said to demand release of terror chiefs, Oct. 7 terrorists in deal for hostages

Hamas faces ‘complete obliteration’ if it clings to power in Gaza, warns Trump

Greta Thunberg set to be deported from Israel Monday on flight to Athens

Israel denies abuse as Ben Gvir touts harsh handling of Greta Thunberg, flotilla activists

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: A man walks past a mural depicting the Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, with a message that reads in Arabic, 'See you soon,' on Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, August 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Intensive negotiations to potentially finalize the Trump peace plan are set for Monday in Egypt. Israel and Hamas are sending teams and US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to join with Arab mediators in what may be a final attempt to broker the agreement to release all Israeli hostages and end the almost two-year war in the Gaza Strip.

To begin the program, Magid fills us in on some of Hamas’s amendments to the 20-point deal. In its response to US President Donald Trump, the terror group overtly said it expects to be part of a "comprehensive Palestinian national framework" that discusses the future of the Gaza Strip, and will contribute to it with full responsibility." What does that mean for Israel's insistence that Hamas has no role in Gaza?

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a cautiously optimistic statement that he hopes to see the hostages back home, “even during the Sukkot holiday,” which begins this week. The Israel Defense Forces was ordered to halt its offensive to capture Gaza City on Saturday after Trump said his Gaza truce plan was accepted by Hamas and called on Israel to stop bombing the Strip. We hear more about Netanyahu's statement and learn about a Friday phone call between the prime minister and the US president.

In another sign of public support for the peace plan, Chief Sephardic Rabbi David Yosef, at the start of a weekly homily delivered after the end of Shabbat, said Israelis “must pray that leaders make the right decisions.” Magid describes the careful steps that politicians such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir -- who oppose stopping the war -- are taking as they navigate the push-pull of public support and elections on the horizon.

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

For further reading:

PM: Hopeful all hostages will be freed in days; Trump: I told Bibi, this is your victory

Full text: Hamas’s response to Trump plan for ending Gaza war, returning hostages

IDF strikes in Gaza City ‘significantly subside,’ but dozens said killed in past day

Ben Gvir threatens to bolt government if Hamas ‘continues to exist’ after hostages freed

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: IDF forces operate in the Gaza Strip in this October 3, 2025, handout photo. (IDF)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.