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.

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

The Israeli Air Force on Sunday carried out strikes in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital of Sanaa, reportedly killing at least four people and injuring scores. The strike came shortly after the military said that an IAF investigation into a Friday night ballistic missile attack from Yemen found that, for the first time, the Houthis used a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead. We learn about this warhead and the IAF's strike.

The Israeli army uprooted thousands of olive trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir following a shooting attack in the area last week carried out by a resident, according to Palestinian media. In addition, a three-day curfew was imposed on the village, which was lifted Sunday morning. We discuss the allegation that the IDF is using collective punishment following this attempted shooting and the IDF's response.

While visiting the Haifa naval base yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that “there is a [hostage] deal on the table, we need to take it,” according to Channel 13 news. The report quoted Zamir adding that “the IDF brought about the conditions for a deal, now it is in Netanyahu’s hands. These "hot mic" remarks come ahead of the planned operation to takeover Gaza City, even as Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of the city overnight Saturday and into Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, killing residents. We learn what is happening on the ground.

Late last week, Israeli authorities warned medical facilities and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip to gear up for mass evacuations of civilians as it drove ahead toward a planned military offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City. We hear which hospitals are still functioning in the Strip.

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

For further reading:

IAF strikes Yemen’s capital after Houthis fired cluster bomb missile over the weekend

IDF pushes into Gaza City outskirts ahead of offensive, bolsters troops in Jabalia

Israel tells Gaza City hospitals to ready for mass evacuations as war plans advance

IDF uproots thousands of West Bank olive trees after Palestinian shooting attack

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

IMAGE: Troops operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released August 25, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

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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.

Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates joined almost two dozen countries, the United Nations and the European Union in condemning Israel for approving the controversial E1 settlement project outside Jerusalem. Sharon explains where the planned 3,400 units would be built and how this could potentially affect negotiations over a two-state solution. He also delves into why this decades-long project is bring fast-tracked right now.

On Friday, a UN hunger monitor declared for the first time that famine had struck northern Gaza. Israel vehemently denied the reports as “lies” and “modern blood libel,” and the United States appeared to dismiss the declaration as part of a “false narrative of deliberate mass starvation” from Hamas. We learn about the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, which issued the report, saying that an estimated 514,000 people — or nearly a quarter of the enclave’s population — are experiencing famine. Sharon explains why Israel and the US allege that the findings are flawed and describes how data is gathered.

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

For further reading:

Smotrich rejoices as settlement plan that ‘erases 2-state delusion’ gets final greenlight

Netanyahu’s office calls Gaza famine declaration a ‘modern blood libel’

Global hunger monitor declares famine in Gaza for 1st time; Israel rejects ‘biased’ report

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

IMAGE: View of the area of the planned E1 project between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim West Bank city, August 21, 2025. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with former US negotiator, adviser and ambassador Dennis Ross.

Today, Ross, an author and the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, also teaches at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization.

But for over a decade, he was the US point man on the arduous Israeli-Palestinian peace processes in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. We close the program by hearing thoughts on the current talks to end the Gaza War from a negotiator who was in the room "when it happened" -- or didn't.

However, we begin the episode by asking Ross, who has decades of experience in Soviet and Middle East policy, for his analysis of this week's Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and the subsequent meet-up between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.

We then spin the globe and focus on Israel and the region -- present and past, including the two milestones of the 2005 Disengagement and the 2000 Camp David Summit.

And so this week, we ask Ambassador Dennis Ross, 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: Dennis Ross (Courtesy)/ Demonstrators march during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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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 for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

This Friday, we present a third installment of our August mini-series centering on the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza, following a zoom-out conversation with public intellectual Dr. Micah Goodman and a personal account of life in Gush Katif by former Nezer Hazani resident Anita Tucker.

This week, we hear from Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who shares the perspective of Palestinians within the Gaza Strip and the ripple effect felt there after the Disengagement.

Alkhatib, who left the Strip for the United States as a high school pupil in 2005, leads Realign For Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.

He is an outspoken critic of Hamas, who writes and speaks about Gaza’s political and humanitarian affairs at a variety of international media outlets.

We hear about Alkhatib's childhood in Gaza City and the few experiences he had with the Jewish Gush Katif residents. We learn about how, at age 17, Alkhatib became one of the first Palestinians to receive asylum in the US following the rise of Hamas in the Strip.

Alkhatib describes the seeds of Hamas and how it became emboldened through the tacit encouragement of Israel. Today, he says, the terror group is so entangled with the civilian population that uprooting it is virtually impossible without any other alternative on the horizon.

He looks back at the wasted opportunity of the Disengagement. "This is a thread that we had and could have grabbed onto and done something with," he tells The Times of Israel.

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

IMAGE: Palestinian police set up Palestinian and Fatah flags on top of a synagogue in the former Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the southern Gaza Strip, September 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

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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.

This morning, Hamas released a statement saying that Israel’s military plans to conquer Gaza City show its “blatant disregard” for efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the nearly two-year conflict. As Israel continues to weigh the partial, phased truce proposal accepted by the terror group on Sunday, we hear about the various forms of backlash faced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- for both the Gaza City op and for the possibility of ending the war without achieving all war goals.

As a slew of nations announce their potential readiness to recognize a Palestinian state in September, a recent poll found that 58 percent of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation. The issue of a “two-state solution” couldn’t be farther from most Israelis’ minds. Horovitz delves into why the flirting with recognizing Palestine — now, during this war — is drawing such passion from the Israeli leadership, notably Netanyahu in his dealings with his Australian counterpart.

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

For further reading:

As Egypt presses Israel on truce proposal, PM pushes ahead with Gaza City operation

Trump’s moment: How the US president can help Netanyahu make the wise choice on Gaza

Poll shows most Americans back Palestine recognition, view Israel’s Gaza war as excessive

Australia pans Netanyahu: ‘Strength not measured by how many people you can blow up’

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

Members of the Global Movement for Palestine wave a giant Palestine flag during a rally against Israel and the ongoing food shortages in the Gaza Strip, in Mexico City on August 17, 2025. (Yuri CORTEZ / 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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and political correspondent Sam Sokol join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Two Israeli officials said yesterday that Jerusalem is studying the proposal for a phased hostage-ceasefire deal that Hamas on Sunday said it had agreed to. This comes as Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the army’s plans for the takeover of Gaza City yesterday. The plans are set to be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow, but in the meantime, we hear about the call-up of some 60,000 Israeli reservists and other aspects of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, B.

A group of settler activists, including young children, crossed the border into Syria on Monday in an attempt to establish a new settlement in land currently held by the Israel Defense Forces. The military said troops were dispatched to the scene, across from the border town of Alonei Habashan, after several civilian vehicles were seen crossing into Syria. Fabian fills us in.

Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government voted to approve a NIS 31 billion ($9 billion) increase to the 2025 state budget — NIS 1.6 billion ($473 million) of which will go toward humanitarian aid for Gaza. The money earmarked for humanitarian aid has angered some members of Netanyahu’s cabinet as well as opposition figures like Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman. Will the Knesset ratify these additions?

Ultra-Orthodox leaders have called for an international day of prayer and fasting on Thursday in response to recent government efforts to conscript ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and arrest those who ignore government orders to enlist. Sokol gives background to the "war" the Haredim have declared on the draft issue and previews what we should expect to see tomorrow.

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

For further reading:

Israel said reviewing truce deal okayed by Hamas despite PM’s seeming dismissal of offer

60,000 IDF reservists to be called up in coming days ahead of Gaza City takeover

Israeli activists briefly cross Syria border in bid to establish settlement

Government votes to add billions to state budget, including $473 million in Gaza aid

Haredi leaders call for global day of prayer, fasting to protest arrest of draft dodgers

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

IMAGE: Haredi men attend a rally against the jailing of Jewish seminary students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, outside the military prison in Beit Lid, near Netanya, August 14, 2025. (Tal Gal/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.

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

Just as Israel is set to approve the IDF's plans for the mission to conquer Gaza City, Hamas on Monday informed mediators that it accepted the ceasefire-hostage release deal proposal that was submitted to the group a day earlier by the Egyptians and Qataris. Sources said the proposal involves a 60-day pause and the release of 10 living captives -- in other words, a partial release deal, which Israel has seemingly stepped away from in the past few weeks. Magid weighs in with the backstory to the negotiation reboot and how Israel may respond.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced yesterday that it is launching a new system to enable families to reserve a box of aid in advance, to reduce the chaos surrounding its distribution sites that the UN says has led to the deaths of hundreds of aid seekers. This comes after other attempts, such as women’s-only distribution times, in an effort to serve more vulnerable populations. Magid tells us more.

The US State Department on Saturday said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough” review. The move to stop these medical-humanitarian visas came after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and an ally of President Donald Trump, said on social media on Friday that the Palestinian “refugees” had entered the US this month. We learn about Loomer and how this post affected the visa program so far.

Two former senior Biden administration officials -- Jack Lew, who served as US ambassador to Israel, and David Satterfield, who served as US envoy for Mideast humanitarian issues -- have revealed that it was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who asked US President Joe Biden last year to set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help deliver more aid. We hear highlights from their joint op-ed in Foreign Affairs magazine, including their thoughts on how the UN should cooperate with GHF.

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

For further reading:

Hamas says it agrees to latest ceasefire proposal; Netanyahu sounds dismissive

GHF says it is launching new reserve system to help families with food collection
 
US State Department halts all visitor visas for Gazans, after far-right activist’s post

Former Biden officials say Netanyahu asked US to set up floating Gaza aid pier last year

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

IMAGE: Illustrative: A man holds a placard up as he takes part in the March for Hostages in London, August 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

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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 city of Sderot has reportedly warned residents that they will likely hear loud explosions throughout the day due to military operations in nearby Gaza, according to Hebrew-language media. The city sits some seven kilometers (four miles) from the northeastern edge of Gaza City. Fabian updates us on what's happening on the ground in the Gaza Strip right now, ahead of the planned takeover of the city.

During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military was set to approve “the plan for the next stage of the war” later in the day. The plan was approved and Fabian delves into some of the preparation needed before the operation rolls out.

As part of the upcoming Gaza City operation, about a million residents will need to relocate. Israel announced that it will renew the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza beginning on Sunday. We discuss the relocation efforts and get an update on how much humanitarian aid is currently being let into the Strip.

The Israeli Navy launched strikes against a power plant south of Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, on Sunday morning. We hear what came next and why the military continues to strike Yemen.

The IDF announced Sunday it would be giving draft dodgers — many of whom are members of the ultra-Orthodox community — a one-time week-long opportunity to enlist in the military without facing punishment for desertion. How many Israelis are eligible for this "get-out-of-jail-free card," and what is part of this package deal?

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

For further reading:

Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv at end of nationwide day of hostage protests

Zamir says IDF approving plans for war’s next stage ahead of Gaza City offensive

Israel to resume supply of tents, shelter gear as it readies to move Gaza City residents

IDF intercepts missile from Yemen, hours after Israeli Navy hit Houthi power plant

IDF offers one-time amnesty to thousands of draft dodgers, citing manpower shortage

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

IMAGE: IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) and Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor are seen in the Gaza Strip, August 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

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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 reporter Tal Schneider joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

A nationwide call for a general strike got underway on Sunday morning, as families of the hostages protested the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza with a campaign to conquer Gaza City. The strike was organized by the October Council, which represents some of the family members of the hostages or bereaved relatives of those killed in the fighting that erupted with the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Schneider describes why many Israelis feel the need for a day of large public actions against the war, and we hear from reporter Ariela Karmel, who is in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square.

The Times of Israel’s US bureau chief Jacob Magid learned on Friday that Hamas negotiators in Cairo this week signaled a willingness to come down from the demands they made last month that led to the collapse of hostage talks in Doha. Jerusalem responded that it is not interested in another partial ceasefire and is only willing to forgo plans to take over Gaza City if Hamas agrees to all of its demands for ending the war, the Israeli official said. Schneider fills us in on the current status of talks.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem,” adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the European Union presidency. The Israeli government is going “too far,” she added, also condemning the new settlement plan to build over 3,000 housing units in the E1 area of the West Bank, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Wednesday. We discuss the E1 plan and the efficacy of sanctions on Netanyahu.

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

For further reading:

Israeli Navy missile boats strike Houthi power plant near Yemen capital

Large protests held across Israel as national strike for hostages gets underway

‘Strengthening Hamas’: Coalition lawmakers slam protesters taking part in strike for hostages

Hamas negotiators signal willingness to ease demands that collapsed talks — officials

Netanyahu has become a ‘problem,’ says Danish PM, wants EU to weigh sanctions

World largely decries new settlement plan, warns it will scuttle 2-state solution

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

IMAGE: Demonstrators block a road during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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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 Prof. Dan Turner, the head of a pediatric gastroenterology unit at one of Israel’s most respected hospitals located in Jerusalem and Deputy Dean of the School of Medicine at the Hebrew University.

Turner, alongside his work as a physician, educator and researcher, is also an ardent activist in a variety of fields concerning human rights and dignity, inside and outside of medicine.

Our podcast conversation was spurred by his response to images of Muhammad al-Mutawaq, a severely emaciated 18-month-old living in Gaza, which were published on the front pages of newspapers around the world, prompting a global outcry about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Following an independent journalist's investigation, it was revealed that al-Mutawaq suffered from severe illnesses, including neurological and muscle disorders.

For Turner, al-Mutawaq's underlying medical conditions don't excuse his appearance -- quite the contrary. The malnourished child is emblematic of Israel's inhumane treatment of all Palestinians, from security prisoners handcuffed in hospital beds to babies who require special medical care in Gazan tent cities, he says.

In a wide-ranging interview, Turner explains how he was "awoken" to his duty to advocate for Palestinians' basic medical care and treatment with dignity.

He shares the blowback he has received -- and why he now sparks conversations about the ongoing war in Gaza by "looking like a caveman."

And so this week, we ask Prof. Dan Turner, 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: The transfer of Palestinian men arrested during a military raid on Jenin, January 22, 2025. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

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