The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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 week, as Israel marks the beginning of the Disengagement from Gaza 20 years ago, we speak with former Brooklynite Anita Tucker, 79, who helped settle Nezer Hazani in 1977 and was forcibly removed from her home in 2005 alongside her husband, children and grandchildren.

Affectionately called "the celery lady" due to her flourishing Gush Katif farm, Tucker describes how her young children were the deciding factor for staking their tent pegs in the barren land of Nezer Hazani after she viewed them "sledding" down the dunes on garbage bags.

This same inert sand allowed the residents to grow their trademark, bug-free Gush Katif vegetables with the newest agricultural technology -- drip irrigation.

She talks about warm relationships with her Arab neighbors -- until talk of "peace" came and the empowerment of PLO leader Yasser Arafat. She describes how once Arafat established a foothold in Gaza, he hanged the leadership of Deir al-Balah, who were Tucker’s close personal friends.

She speaks about the terror attacks the community absorbed, but the ideological faith that their community was protecting the rest of the Land of Israel.

Former prime minister Ariel Sharon's announcement of a unilateral pullout from Gaza came as a betrayal and we hear how the youth protested against this move until the very end.

But after the pullout, the former Gush Katif residents experienced a second betrayal in that they had to fight to get compensation and rebuild their lives. Tucker and much of the original settlement refounded Nezer Hazani seven years later inside the State of Israel, but, as she says, these are their "houses," they are not their "homes."

Tucker speaks to the community's yearning to resettle the Gaza Strip and how concrete plans have been presented to the Israeli government during what the potential resettlers view as a window of opportunity.

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

IMAGE: Israeli Jewish settlers celebrate the Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat, marking the new year for trees in the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the Gush Katif block of settlements in the Gaza Strip, January 25, 2005. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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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.

Hamas negotiators arrived in Egypt this week for talks aimed at getting moribund ceasefire and hostage release negotiations back on track, with Israel having reportedly sent a team to Doha. Horovitz updates us on the status of negotiations.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir yesterday approved the general outline for the military’s upcoming major offensive to conquer Gaza City. This comes after a highly charged conflict with Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier this week. Horovitz takes us through this unusual public spat and what we know so far about the plan to take Gaza City.

Yesterday, Spain signaled support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal of an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilize Gaza -- including deploying the controversial UNRWA agency -- calling it “one of the tools” that could bring peace to the region. Horovitz briefly comments.

Even as much of the western world is pushing for a two-state solution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in a rare Hebrew-language interview that he felt a connection to the vision of “Greater Israel.” We learn more about the bizarre interaction during an i24 interview, which has spurred international condemnation.

Horovitz sat down with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee this week for an in-depth interview. Horovitz brings highlights, including Huckabee's stalwart support and the Baptist minister's impressions of how Gazans see the US and the IDF.

The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival said overnight that he is working to get "The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," a documentary about the October 7 massacre, back on the big screen, apologizing after the movie was pulled from the festival schedule, which sparked a large outcry. Horovitz describes the surreal request by the festival's organizers to obtain permission for use of the Hamas October 7 footage.

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

For further reading:

IDF chief greenlights general outline of planned conquest of Gaza City

Israel may dispatch negotiators to Doha for talks on freeing all hostages, ending war

Arab nations fume after Netanyahu says he feels connection to vision of Greater Israel

Huckabee: With Palestine state move, UK and France have joined forces with Israel’s enemies

After outcry, Toronto film fest says it wants to reinstate pulled October 7 documentary

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: Retired Israeli general Noam Tibon in the documentary 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' (Courtesy)

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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 reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Tress discusses the recent decrease in antisemitic hate crimes in New York, although Jews are still the most targeted group.

He also talks about several small, new Jewish organizations advocating for change in the way the Jewish community approaches growing antisemitism and anti-Zionism, as well as their readiness to face off against legacy Jewish organizations.

Tress touches on the legal implications of antisemitic crimes, particularly in light of the recent case involving the alleged killer of two Israeli embassy staffers. 

He also discusses how the Washington District Attorney is examining the possibility of a death penalty sentence for Elias Rodriguez, who allegedly killed two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in May outside a DC museum.

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

For further reading:

Antisemitic hate crimes in New York decrease in recent months — NYPD

Amid record antisemitism, US Jewish activists call on leaders to vacate their echo chamber

US prosecutors consider death penalty for alleged killer of Israeli embassy staffers

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: Police arrest a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protester near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala takes place, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, 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.

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

The IDF may take at least another week to gauge how many troops it will need for the government-ordered renewed offensive in Gaza City, military officials said Sunday. This comes as relations between the IDF and the political echelon seem more strained than we’ve previously seen. Fabian weighs in.

This morning, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) asserted that Hamas has been inflating the toll of Palestinians it says have died of malnutrition, and most of those verified to have died had preexisting medical conditions. Fabian describes how Hamas's own death figures have allowed COGAT to draw its conclusions.

An Israeli strike in Gaza City Sunday night killed a prominent Palestinian journalist for Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, Anas al-Sharif, whom the Israel Defense Forces has long argued was a Hamas terrorist in charge of rocket launching. Fabian lays out the IDF's case against al-Sharif and discusses his targeting in the context of the larger stated military goal of picking off every asset of the terror group.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that IDF troops will remain deployed to northern West Bank refugee camps at least until the end of the year, as part of the “Operation Iron Wall” defensive. The operation began in January in the Jenin refugee camp, adjacent to the city of Jenin, and later expanded to include refugee camps near the city of Tulkarem in the western West Bank — the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps. We learn what's going on there now and what the forecast is.

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

For further reading:

IDF assessing how many troops needed for new Gaza offensive as Security Council convenes

Israel says review shows Hamas inflating Gaza hunger data in ‘orchestrated campaign’

Amid global outcry, IDF says Al Jazeera reporter it killed was receiving Hamas salary

IDF strike on Gaza City kills Al Jazeera reporter accused of being a Hamas cell leader

Katz: IDF to remain in north West Bank refugee camps until year’s end at least

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: IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in an image released by the military on August 11, 2025. (IDF)

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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.

Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's back-to-back press conferences on Sunday night in English and then Hebrew, Magid compares his focus on the premier's messaging. During the press conference for the English language press, Netanyahu focuses on what he calls the "lies" in the international press and emphasizes that Israel is not seeking to occupy Gaza, but to take over only Gaza City. 

Magid discusses Netanyahu's five conditions for ending the war, and moving away from a strategy of partial hostage deals to military pressure. Magid also says Netanyahu is working to dispel the notion that Israel is trying to starve the Gazans, and scolds the press for accepting Hamas claims to the contrary. He talks about Netanyahu's comments about flooding the zone with aid.

In Hebrew, the prime minister reviewed Israel's victories in Gaza to give legitimacy to continue fighting. He also talks about the issue of reservists, says Magid, acknowledging the strain on reserve forces. 

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

For further reading:

Netanyahu says Israel not looking to occupy Gaza but to ‘free it from Hamas’

World condemnations mount over Israeli plans to take Gaza City; UN Security Council to meet

Bucking IDF warnings, security cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to conquer Gaza 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 Podwaves.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the PM's office in Jerursalem, August 10, 2025. (Photo by 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.

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

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday vowed to carry out “in the best possible way” Israel’s decision to conquer Gaza City and at the same time, Arab mediators were said to be working on a deal to release all 50 remaining hostages from Gaza in one fell swoop in exchange for an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. In the lead-up to the security cabinet decision, there was a lot of talk about conquering and occupying the entire Strip. Sharon looked into the legalities of such a move and shares what he found.

Hundreds of ultranationalist activists hoping to establish new Israeli settlements in Gaza set out Wednesday evening from a spot close to the Gaza border city of Sderot and began walking westward toward a lookout point less than a kilometer away from the Strip, with loudspeakers blaring: “The way to defeat Hamas is to take back our land.” Sharon gives us background on the impetus for the movement and, with increased political backing, the window of opportunity it now sees.

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

For further reading:

IDF chief: Army will carry out Gaza City occupation plan in ‘best possible way’

‘Ours forever’: Hundreds march from Sderot to Gaza border to demand resettlement

Smotrich says he’s ‘lost faith’ in PM’s desire to win war, demands change to Gaza plans

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: Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, August 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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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's senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.

During the Tisha B'Av fast on Sunday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir again made headlines for going up to the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. There were two big differences this time: One, he led a prayer service out loud, and two, he called for the Jewish resettlement of the Gaza Strip.

Both aspects of Ben Gvir's trip were highly documented, including his statement on the ongoing war in Gaza.

Ben Gvir said, “I am saying, davka [intentionally] from here, from the Temple Mount — the place from which it was proven that it is possible to have sovereign rule —  davka from here, we are relaying a message that from today on, we are conquering the entire Gaza Strip, announcing our sovereignty on the entire Gaza Strip, and taking down every Hamas member and encouraging voluntary emigration. Only in this way will we return the hostages and win the war.”

Ben Gvir's semi-messianic vision may come partially true as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to announce an IDF operation aimed at conquering the entire Gaza Strip. 

Resettlement of the Palestinian enclave, says Rettig Gur, is a completely different matter.

We hear how this latest publicity stunt is a disservice to the Temple Mount movement, which stresses that Jews may have freedom of worship at Judaism's most holy site.

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: Haviv Rettig Gur (courtesy) / Illustrative: Jews visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, on Jerusalem Day, May 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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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 week, as Israel stands poised to re-occupy the entire Gaza Strip, public intellectual and author Dr. Micah Goodman takes us through the Disengagement from Gaza 20 years ago.

Goodman, the author of influential works such as “Catch-67,” returns to the origins of the settlement movement and dissects the motivations driving Israelis from the right and left.

We learn how the First and Second Intifadas shifted stalwart settler leaders such as prime minister Ariel Sharon and set the table for the idea of unilateral disengagement from Gaza.

Goodman proposes that the trauma from the Disengagement has shaped the face of the Israeli right, with extremist party heads, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir openly supporting the resettlement of Gaza from the halls of the Knesset -- or the Temple Mount.

And finally, we turn to the Israeli cabinet's Thursday night decision to push for a reoccupation of Gaza and what this may do to the country.

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

Young settlers cry and pray on the roof during the Disengagement in Neve Dekalim on August 17, 2005. (Nati Shohat/ 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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Magid discusses how US President Donald Trump was very impacted by the the hostage videos that came out last week of an emaciated Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, and he responded that Israel should do what it needs to regarding Gaza.

Trump isn't pushing Israel regarding its possible occupation plan of Gaza, but is planning to expand the Gaza Humanitarian Fund beyond its current three locations. Magid comments on GHF's need for funding, its reliance on US funding to date and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's 180-degree turnaround on the matter and the need to give aid to Gaza.

Magid also examines the complex relationship between the US and the Palestinian Authority regarding financial support and governance, and the US denial of visas to Palestinian Authority officials as a form of pressure, while the PA's legitimacy is at risk due to its financial instability.

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

For further reading:

Chiefly focused on food aid, Trump says Gaza occupation ‘pretty much up to Israel’

Almost 9 in 10 aid trucks looted before reaching Gaza destinations, UN figures show

Aiming to boost aid, Israel to allow gradual flow of goods to Gaza’s private sector

US to deny visas for PA officials over efforts to ‘internationalize’ the conflict

Hamstrung PA weighs options as Israel continues to withhold its much-needed funds

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

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Lehigh Valley International Airport, August 3, 2025, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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

According to leaked reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely declare a new war goal of conquering the entire Gaza Strip. Following the three-month-long Gideon's Chariots operation, Israel currently has operational control of 75 percent of the Strip. Fabian delves into the operation and gives a picture of whether it met its goals of conquering Gaza and retaining the territory; moving the Palestinian civilian population toward the south of the Strip; targeting Hamas; and preventing the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies.

We discuss the stepped-up humanitarian aid efforts and Fabian offers insight into what happens once it reaches the Strip, citing a new UN report that states that almost nine out of every 10 UN trucks that entered Gaza with humanitarian aid over the last several months were looted — either by hungry Gazans or by armed groups. We get updates on how much aid is still standing at the Kerem Shalom crossing and how effective airdrops are.

Finally, we learn about the IDF’s new Haredi brigade, known as the Hasmonean Brigade. After completing seven months of basic and advanced training, the first company of troops from the Hasmonean Brigade received their navy berets today. What is this new ultra-Orthodox company and how could it impact the 80,000 Haredi youth who are eligible for conscription?

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

For further reading:

After war meet, Netanyahu said to favor complete conquest of Gaza even if hostages harmed

Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ comes to a close, with promised goals unfulfilled

Almost 9 in 10 aid trucks looted before reaching Gaza destinations, UN figures show

Aiming to boost aid, Israel to allow gradual flow of goods to Gaza’s private sector

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: Palestinians carry personal belongings in the Mawasi area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on July 28, 2025. (AFP)

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