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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and culture editor Jessica Steinberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Jerusalem on Monday to bid a final farewell to slain American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the best-known faces among those seized by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7. Steinberg, a family friend, talks about Hersh and brings the overriding messages from the funeral.

After many many months in which Israelis have called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to spell out his vision of a hostage release deal, he finally held a rare press conference in Jerusalem after a day of massive strikes and protests throughout the country. What were the salient points Netanyahu tried to make last night?

US President Joe Biden on Monday said Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure a deal for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, while revealing that his administration was “very close” to presenting a final hostage deal offer later this week. How does this overt chastisement affect the talks?

Britain said Monday it would immediately suspend dozens of arms export licenses with Israel because there is a risk the equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, drawing rebuke from Israeli officials. But this morning, Britain’s defense minister John Healey said the country’s suspension of 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel will not threaten Israel’s ability to defend itself. Berman discusses the mixed message the UK is sending.

Speaking to the Israel Bar Association this morning, President Isaac Herzog issued a strident call for unity, insisting that "the soul and future of the nation are at stake.” What else did he say in the aftermath of days of country-wide turmoil?

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

‘We all failed you’: Heartbreak at funeral for Hersh Goldberg-Polin in Jerusalem

‘My sweet boy Hersh, we tried so desperately to save you’

Netanyahu: If we leave Philadelphi, Hamas will be able to rearm, revive, repeat Oct. 7

Biden says US close to presenting final ceasefire offer, PM not doing enough for deal

Court shuts down Histadrut strike, accepting government claim it was political

UK suspends 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, insists it’s not an embargo

‘Don’t you dare’: Herzog warns against reviving judicial overhaul, pleads for unity

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: Mourners and family members gather to bury executed US-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose body was recovered with five other hostages in Gaza, during the funeral at Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen / POOL / 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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Last night, mass demonstrations were held throughout Israel after news came out that the bodies of six executed hostages were found, with protesters demanding the government reach a deal for the release of all hostages. Rettig Gur unpacks the protesters' frustrations and motivations.

On Thursday, the security cabinet voted to back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position in favor of maintaining Israeli military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border as part of any potential ceasefire and hostage release deal. In a security cabinet meeting Sunday evening, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly called the demand “an unnecessary constraint that we’ve placed on ourselves.” But can a deal be approved without this line item now?

During a press conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday, the head of the major labor union Arnon Bar-David said that the strike would start at 6 a.m. Monday and an official in the Histadrut Labor Federation told Channel 12 this morning that the organization is considering extending the general strike to tomorrow. Rettig Gur weighs in on the tactic of using a strike to pressure the government as it faces a Sophie's choice of a decision.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Autopsy finds 6 hostages were shot multiple times at close range in last 48-72 hours

Masses protest across Israel in flood of grief, anger after Hamas executes 6 hostages

Gallant said to call Philadelphi demand a ‘disgrace,’ drawing fury from PM, ministers

Ministers back Netanyahu’s demand for IDF to stay in Philadelphi Corridor in any deal

Striking unions join protest as thousands take to streets for hostage deal

Histadrut labor union announces nationwide strike, over failure to release hostages

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

IMAGE: In Tel Aviv, protesters demanding a hostage release deal block the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, September 2, 2024. (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.

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

The bodies of six hostages abducted alive by Hamas on October 7 were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah a few days ago, shortly after they were murdered by terrorists, the Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday. They were named as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27. We learn about the operation to recover their bodies and what we know about the killings of the six.

Late last week, the IDF announced it had wrapped up a three-week operation in the southern Gaza Strip and also that the Hamas terror group’s Rafah Brigade had “collapsed” as a result of the Israel Defense Forces’s ongoing offensive in the city. What is the current status of the Hamas brigades and the location of the fighting on the ground?

A health official said Saturday that a polio vaccination campaign had begun in Gaza after the war-torn territory recorded its first case of the disease in a quarter of a century. The campaign involves two doses and aims to cover over 640,000 children under age 10. How are these temporary pauses in fighting being carried out?

Three Israeli police officers were killed in a shooting attack in the southern West Bank on Sunday morning. The attack came after terrorists on Saturday detonated two car bombs in the southern West Bank’s Gush Etzion settlement bloc. Two soldiers were lightly and one moderately hurt in the explosions. Fabian describes the two terror incidents.

Last week, the military launched an ongoing counterterrorism operation in several West Bank cities. Fabian updates us on the operation's achievements so far and describes what cooperation the IDF is seeing with the Palestinian Authority.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Bodies of 6 hostages, murdered by Hamas just days ago, found in Rafah – IDF

IDF wraps up 3-week raid in south Gaza; 250 gunmen killed, 6 km of tunnels destroyed

IDF: Hamas’s Rafah Brigade has collapsed, 80% of border tunnels neutralized

Polio vaccination campaign begins in Gaza, health officials say

3 cops killed in southern West Bank shooting attack; IDF pursuing gunmen

2 car bombs detonate in coordinated West Bank attacks; terrorists killed by troops

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

IMAGE: Pictures of 107 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are displayed by their families and friends as they protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, Auguest 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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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.

The New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, a bonus reply of our weekly What Matters Now podcast.

This week, campuses across North America opened their doors for their fall semester. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Stephens recently wrote a column called, “What I Want a University President to Say About Campus Protests,” in which he channels a university president presenting his foundational principles, including, “the spirit of inquiry.”

In this week’s episode, we hear Stephens’s take on concepts that have evolved and flourished on campuses in the past several decades, including how critical theory has shifted faculties and the role of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).

So this week, as students return to campuses, we ask Bret Stephens, what matters now?

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

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 and Adina Karpuj.

IMAGE: New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens. (Jason Smith via JTA)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Vice President Kamala Harris was again heckled by an anti-Israel protester, this time during a rally in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday. The Democratic presidential nominee responded by stressing her support for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Berman describes this incident and points out a gaping omission in her stated support for Israel.

The WHO and UN children’s fund UNICEF are hoping to provide oral vaccines against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) to more than 640,000 children in the Strip after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory. Berman updates on the partial pauses in fighting in the Strip.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday reportedly presented the security cabinet with a document he drew up in recent days urging a hostage-ceasefire deal and detailing the potentially dire consequences for Israel of a failure to finalize such an agreement. We discuss the domino effect that potentially could allow the 68,000 displaced people from the northern district from 43 settlements return home while still maintaining Israel's deterrence.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Harris says she won’t change US policy on arming Israel, stresses need for hostage deal

Israel agrees to localized ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza for polio vaccination, WHO says

Gallant said to warn ministers multi-front war dangerously close sans hostage deal

Ministers vote to back PM’s stance in favor of IDF staying in Philadelphi Corridor

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

IMAGE: IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on August 29, 2024. (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.

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

The Israeli military has launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the wake of last week’s attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that is expected to last at least several days, military sources said yesterday. At the same time, top Hamas official Khaled Mashal in Turkey yesterday called for a resumption of suicide bombings. What is the Biden administration saying about the IDF's operation in the West Bank so far?

The Biden administration issued its sixth batch of sanctions targeting Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, blacklisting a group that provides volunteer guards for illegal outposts and a civilian security guard for a flashpoint settlement who has allegedly engaged in attacks against Palestinians. Magid gives nuance to who was -- and what wasn't -- including in this batch of sanctions.

After a summit of high-level hostage release negotiations that took place last weekend in Cairo, the result was an agreement to hold another round of lower-level talks this week in Doha. Magid spoke with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby who is an unapologetic optimist. We hear what he said.

Last week, a five-year-old child accidentally broke a rare Bronze Age clay vessel on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, but ended up being invited back, along with his family, for a special tour of the museum. After a few days of staycation, Borschel-Dan can definitely identify with this family's plight.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

11 Palestinians killed as IDF launches major anti-terror raid in West Bank

Top Hamas official Mashaal urges resumption of suicide bombings against Israel

‘This is a war’: FM urges Gaza-style temporary evacuation of Palestinians in West Bank

US issues new batch of sanctions targeting West Bank settlers amid rampant violence

‘We failed’: IDF finds it didn’t act sufficiently to prevent deadly settler rampage

Unapologetic optimism: How US approaches its messaging around hostage negotiations

Kid shatters 3,500-year-old jar in Haifa museum, gets invited back

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 of the Kfir Brigade's Haruv Reconnaissance Unit are seen operating in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, August 28, 2024. (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.

Arab affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani and political reporter Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Pacchiani discusses the Bedouin background of rescued hostage Farhan al-Qadi, and the little known about his family, who didn't speak to the press over the last eleven months of his captivity, preferring their privacy and given concerns about how Hamas would treat a Bedouin hostage.

He also speaks about his recent analysis of the Hamas propaganda machine, and the psychology behind their extensive advertising and public relations, which always aligns with one message.

Sokol talks about the latest brouhaha with Transportation Minister Miri Regev who was tapped to handle the government's official October 7 ceremony but is seen as the wrong person for the job because of her political leanings.

Sokol also expands on the interview he and founding ToI editor David Horovitz conducted with opposition leader Yair Lapid, and Lapid's thoughts about how and when the Netanyahu government will come to an end.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Better than a baby: ‘Surprise’ hostage rescue gives way to joy as family reunites

In Rahat, a Bedouin community mourns its October 7 losses away from the public eye

Terrorize Israelis while eliciting sympathy abroad: Inside Hamas’s propaganda strategy

Huge alternative Oct. 7 memorial ceremony to be held in Tel Aviv; state event in Ofakim

‘He lost his soul’: Lapid sees ‘sacred cause’ in toppling Netanyahu’s government

Lapid: Netanyahu was briefed on dangers ahead of Oct. 7, ignored ‘all red flags,’ must go

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: Rescued hostage Farhan al-Qadi at Beersheba's Soroka Hospital on August 27, 2024 (Courtesy Yossi Ifergan/GPO)

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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 writer Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Fabian discusses the timing of Sunday's visit of Airforce General Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Israel, hours after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, that were mostly thwarted. 

He mentions a military probe into the death of one Navy soldier and two injured soldiers on a Navy vessel, as a result of the Sunday Hezbollah rocket and drone attack.

Fabian also speaks about the IDF drone strike in the West Bank that killed five people situated in a terror command room — including a Hamas member released by Israel in the November 2023 hostage-release deal.

Schneider takes another look at National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the latest in his recent, incendiary statements regarding Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount, causing an ultra-Orthodox newspaper to call him out for his actions.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Top US general says risk of broader war ‘somewhat’ abated after Israel-Hezbollah clash

Israeli Navy sailor killed, two hurt by interceptor missile amid Hezbollah attack

Halevi: IDF working to return displaced northern residents ‘as quickly as possible’

IDF says it carried out drone strike on West Bank terror cell; 5 reported killed

Haredi newspaper calls Ben Gvir ‘pyromaniac politician’ over Temple Mount remarks

Ben Gvir says Jews can pray on Temple Mount; Netanyahu insists status quo unchanged

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: IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halev and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr, August 26, 2024 (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.

Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Horovitz discusses the comments made by Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah in the wake of the extensive rocket attack against Israel early Sunday morning, in which Nasrallah claimed victory for the attack mostly thwarted by the IDF.

He then looks at the latest in the ceasefire and hostage deal talks, currently ongoing in Cairo and Doha, with the US pressing hard for a deal.

Horovitz also speaks about the latest comments made Monday morning by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir regarding the right for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, long seen as a flashpoint in local political and security tensions. Ben Gvir's statements feed into the letter recently sent by Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to Netanyahu and government ministers, regarding fears for Ben Gvir's actions on the Temple Mount and growing Jewish terror.

He also delves more deeply into his interview last week with opposition leader Yair Lapid, who expressed optimism about Israel's future and what needs to be done going forward.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Nasrallah asserts Hezbollah attack was success, reserves right to strike again

PM says strikes on Hezbollah ‘not end of story’ as allies warn against escalation

No breakthroughs in Cairo talks as US says mediators pushing ‘feverishly’ for deal

Defense minister says national security being sapped by Ben Gvir’s moves

Shin Bet chief warns Netanyahu, ministers that Jewish terror endangering Israel

‘He lost his soul’: Lapid sees ‘sacred cause’ in toppling Netanyahu’s government

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: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, after his visit to the Temple Mount on August 13, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

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

According to the IDF, some 210 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s attack this morning. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while others struck Israel, causing damage and injuries. But also according to the IDF, potentially thousands of launchers were preemptively struck. Fabian gives us a timeline of events.

US Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. What does his presence in the region signal?

Five soldiers were killed during fighting against the Hamas terror group in the central Gaza Strip over the weekend. We hear about the deadly incidents and also learn about a lengthy tunnel attributed to Palestinian Islamic Jihad that was recently uncovered.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF hits Hezbollah launch sites in Lebanon to thwart major attack on central, north Israel

IDF bracing for ‘significant week,’ as Hezbollah strike expected within days

Top US general makes surprise trip to Middle East as threatened Iranian attack looms

Travel chaos as Ben Gurion Airport briefly shut, foreign airlines nix flights

IDF says soldier killed in Gaza yesterday, raising toll of op to 339

3 reservists killed in central Gaza fighting, bringing IDF’s weekend toll to 4

IDF reservist killed, others wounded by explosive device in 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 Ben Wallick. 

IMAGE: In this combination of pictures created on August 25, 2024, photos taken from a position in northern Israel show Hezbollah UAVs being intercepted by the Israeli air force over northern Israel on August 25, 2024. (Jalaa Marey / AFP)

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