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 on today's episode.

Two Israeli civilians were killed and two others were wounded in a terror stabbing attack in the central city of Holon on Sunday morning, police and medics said. Fabian debriefs.

An Israeli drone strike Saturday morning in the southern Lebanon town of Bazourieh, near Tyre, killed Ali Abd Ali, a prominent operative in the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group, continuing the tit-for-tat conflict along the northern border since October 8. Who was Abd Ali?

Officials in Washington and Jerusalem expect Iran and its proxies could attack Israel as early as tomorrow, according to the Axios news site, in retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh last week. Fabian takes us through several potential scenarios of attack and what Israel could do to counter.

Nine Palestinian gunmen were killed in two Israeli drone strikes near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Saturday morning. We hear how Hamas is alive and well in the West Bank.

The largest rocket barrages in months were sent from the Gaza Strip over the past several days. What is happening on the ground in Gaza?

Residents of central Israel report disruptions to navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze and other systems that use GPS with some Tel Aviv motorists being shown that they were in Beirut. We hear how this ties in with any potential incoming attacks from Iran and its proxies.

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

Discussed articles include:

Two dead, 2 hurt in terror stabbing spree in Holon; Palestinian attacker shot by police

Israel kills ‘central’ Hezbollah operative in Lebanon, strikes Hamas targets in Gaza

Iran warns Hezbollah will strike civilian targets deeper in Israel as war fears heighten

Hamas commander, eight other gunmen killed in IDF drone strikes near Tulkarem

At least 19 rockets fired at Israel from southern Gaza, the largest barrage in weeks

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: Ultra-Orthodox Jews shop at the Yesh Chesed Supermarket in the northern Israeli city of Tzfat, August 1, 2024. (David Cohen/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.

Rabbi Menachem Creditor, the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA-Federation New York, joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in The Times of Israel's Jerusalem offices for today's special Shabbat episode.

Ten months into the war with Hamas, it is easy for Israelis to lose heart and focus on the struggle rather than the beauty and purpose of the Jewish state.

Creditor brings words of strength and shares moving experiences from his short support mission to Israel this week.

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: Rabbi Menachem Creditor, the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA-Federation New York (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.

Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and Arab affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Sharon speaks about the legal aspects of the case against the nine reservists, accused of alleged abuses against Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman military base. The proceedings have gone ahead, as the government, attorney general and high court moved quickly, despite the heated protests by right-wing activists earlier this week, at Sde Teiman.

He also talks about Palestinian villagers, victims of a spike in violence in the West Bank after October 7, carried out by extremist settlers against Palestinian herding communities, forcing some out of their homes for months. Now the High Court is critical of the Israel Police for their lack of control against the violence and protection.

Pacchiani looks at the public statement of mourning by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, surprising given that they are bitter rivals, but Hamas is popular among Palestinians and Abbas had no choice but to offer his condolences.

He also discusses public comments of dissent made by some Lebanese individuals against Hezbollah, showing how the terrorist organization has hijacked the country but emphasizing the publics' inability to rally in the streets.

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

Discussed articles include:

Far-right MK: Justice officials who go after soldiers will be ‘prosecuted as traitors’

Torture, abuse, unfit conditions: The allegations over Sde Teiman and its guards

Court: Israel must enable return of displaced Palestinians to West Bank villages

Abbas declares day of mourning for Haniyeh as he blasts ‘cowardly’ killing

Majdal Shams massacre highlights Solomonic predicament of Golan’s Druze community

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: Supreme Court justice Uzi Vogelman at Supreme Court in Jerusalem for a petition asking the state to close the detention facility at the Sde Teiman military base, June 5, 2024 (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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in our Jerusalem office on today's episode.

Iran’s supreme leader and representatives of Palestinian terror groups prayed over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard in Tehran earlier today. We begin by speaking about the symbolism of a strike on the head of an Iranian proxy in its capital.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after a three-hour security cabinet meeting last night and said Israel was facing threats from across the region following the killing of Fuad Shukr, whom he called “Hezbollah’s chief of staff,” in Beirut on Tuesday night. “We are ready for every scenario,” he promised, “and will stand united and determined against every threat.” He added: “Israel will exact a very heavy price for any aggression against us.” We discuss the assassination of Shukr, a relatively little-known figure until his death.

Earlier in the week, two far-right mobs rampaged into two IDF bases -- at Sde Teiman and Beit Lid. Horovitz weighs in on the continual lack of imagination on the part of the IDF to stave off "unthinkable" attacks.

On this, the 300th day of the war, protesters and relatives of hostages blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, calling for a deal to free the hostages held in Gaza. Egypt and Qatar warned that strikes on terror leaders this week have undermined efforts made by mediators to reach an agreement for hostages to be released and a ceasefire. How likely is it that the potential deal was taken into consideration when ordering this assassination?

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

Discussed articles include:

With two strikes in enemy capitals, the war enters uncharted territory

Khamenei said to order direct strike on Israel after Haniyeh killed in Tehran

Netanyahu: ‘Challenging days ahead,’ Israel will exact heavy price for any attack

Lufthansa flight to Tel Aviv lands in Cyprus, returns to Munich amid Iran tensions

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: Iranians follow a truck, center, carrying the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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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 reporter Lazar Berman and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in our Jerusalem offices on today's episode.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the early hours of the morning in Iran, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian. No nation has taken credit for the attack. Fabian fills us in on what we know about the means of the attack.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington will help defend Israel if it is attacked, while the White House will also work to reduce tension in the region following Haniyeh's assassination. Berman speaks about the possibilities of a wider war in the Middle East and how other countries are condemning Israel.

This morning, Hezbollah issued its first statement on Israel’s assassination of the terror group’s top military commander Fuad Shukr last night, saying he was present in the building in Beirut when it was struck, but does not confirm his death, which the IDF announced last night. Fabian debriefs on this strike.

Berman discusses how these two attacks are an "elegant" solution to the need for respond to the Iranian-made Hezbollah bomb that killed 12 children in Magdal Shams on Saturday afternoon. Is there any speculation that there will be further reprisal?

Fabian clarifies that as yet there are no changes to Homefront Command guidelines following the two strikes.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran missile strike

IDF kills top Hezbollah commander in Beirut in response to deadly Majdal Shams 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 the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: People hold up the Palestinian flag and a portrait of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, during a rally at Tehran University, in the Iranian capital on July 31, 2024, as Iran declares three days of mourning. (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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and Olympics correspondent Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in our Jerusalem offices on today's episode.

Far-right activists on Monday evening broke into a military base where soldiers detained on suspicion of abusing a Palestinian detainee were taken for questioning, hours after a separate base was stormed by a right-wing mob fuming over the arrests. Magid discusses who were among the mob and its affects on the IDF.

Yesterday, a diplomatic Israeli source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that “the estimation is that the response will not lead to an all-out war… That would not be in our interest at this point.” We hear what the US is doing to try to clamp down a regional war.

Hamas accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday of preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US-backed Israeli truce proposal, charges the prime minister later denied. Magid weighs in.

Yesterday, the third day of sporting competitions at the Paris Olympics, saw weather-related frustrations for Israel’s windsurfers, a disappointment in swimming, and an achievement in surfing thousands of miles away in Tahiti. Spiro dives in on this and other sports that Team Israel is competing in and shares what we should look out for in the near future.

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

Discussed articles include:

‘Bordering on anarchy’: IDF chief sounds alarm after right-wing mob overruns 2nd base

Military Police raid IDF detention facility, 9 held, over ‘serious abuse of a detainee’

As diplomats scramble, Israel says response to Hezbollah to be ‘harsh’ but contained

Hamas, Israel accuse each other of stalling hostage deal with new demands

Sailing frustrations, surfing triumphs and tough judo battles for Israel in Paris

In the pool, on the mat and in the river, Israeli Olympians seek gold and national pride

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: Far-right activists protest against the detention of nine Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of assaulting a Hamas terrorist, at the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, July 29, 2024. (Dudu Greenspan/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.

Political reporter Tal Schneider and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

The funeral for the 12th boy killed in a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday took place this morning. Yesterday afternoon, Israeli ministers authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief to decide on the “manner and timing” of a response to the rocket strike. Schneider fills us in on what we know about the security cabinet meeting.

Yesterday, Lidor traveled to the town of Majdal Shams, where 10 of the 12 children had just been buried. We discuss the townsfolks' reactions as well as their special status in Israel.

Mossad director David Barnea met in Rome on Sunday with top negotiators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar for talks on the updated proposal for a hostage release deal with Hamas that Israel relayed to the White House on Saturday. What are the next steps -- if any?

Although 47 Ofakim residents were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, until recently, the small city some 21 km from the border with Gaza was not included in the government’s broader rehabilitation plan for affected communities. Lidor explains what was the holdup for the community to receive funds.

The Knesset is now officially on recess. What did we see as this summer session wound down for the next three months and how does the country view its lawmakers' long break?

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

Discussed articles include:

Ministers authorize Netanyahu, Gallant to order retaliation for deadly Golan strike

Anger and grief mix as Majdal Shams buries 10 children killed in rocket strike

Government ministers shouted down at funeral for children killed by Hezbollah attack

Mossad chief meets negotiators in Rome after Israel submits new hostage deal draft

Ofakim gets NIS 229m after Oct. 7 massacre, but kept off national recovery plan

Knesset’s summer session ends but parliamentary activity continues

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: Elders and mourners attend the funeral of Gevara Ebraheem, 11, killed in a Hezbollah strike from Lebanon two days earlier, in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan on July 29, 2024. (Jalaa Marey / 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

At least 12 people were killed Saturday, mostly children and teens, and dozens more were wounded when a rocket fired from Lebanon hit a soccer field in the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. We hear about the attack and Fabian discusses IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi's statements about the IDF's readiness in case of an increased escalation along the border.

A Hezbollah drone launched from Lebanon and believed to be heading toward offshore gas infrastructure in northern Israel was shot down by the Israeli Navy over Israel’s territorial waters on Saturday morning, the military said. How is the IDF protecting this vulnerable site?

On Saturday morning, the IDF issued fresh evacuation orders to Palestinians in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, including in sections of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, citing intelligence that Hamas terrorists were operating in the area. What new area of Gaza is the IDF operating in now?

In a dangerous operation on Wednesday, the bodies of Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were recovered by IDF special forces and members of the Shin Bet security agency. Fabian explains how the interrogation of a Hamas prisoner led to the bodies' location.

On Friday, the coastal city of Ashkelon was targetted by rockets in an attack claimed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. What do we know about this terror group’s capabilities almost 10 months into the war?

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

Discussed articles include:

12 killed, all aged 10-20, as Hezbollah rocket hits soccer field, sparking wider war fears

Hezbollah will pay ‘heavy price,’ PM vows after strike on Druze town kills 12 youngsters

IDF has killed 500 terrorists in Lebanon since beginning of war, says senior officer

Hezbollah drone apparently heading for offshore gas rig downed by Israeli Navy

IDF orders new evacuations for humanitarian zone, hits Hamas HQ in central Gaza school

Bodies of 5 hostages were found in tunnel in Gaza’s Israeli-designated humanitarian zone

Ashkelon targeted by rocket fire from Gaza for first time in a month

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: Mourners carry the coffin of a child killed in a Hezbollah rocket strike from Lebanon a day earlier, during a mass funeral in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, on July 28, 2024. (Jalaa Marey / 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.

Head of ToI's Those We Have Lost project Amy Spiro joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

The XXXIII Olympics opened officially in Paris last night and Team Israel is well represented with 88 athletes this year.

Since the October 7 massacre, The Times of Israel has published hundreds of memorial posts about the Hamas victims and fallen soldiers. In the course of the project, we noted a trend of serious athletes among those killed.

On this Olympics weekend, we share nine of their stories.

Discussed articles include:

Lt. Yonatan Goutin, 20: Star judoka who chose combat in IDF

Cpt. Eden Nimri, 22: Professional swimmer, led all-female IDF team

Roni Petrovski, 24: Youth soccer coach with a ‘heart of gold’

Lior Asulin, 43: Ex-soccer player killed celebrating his birthday

Kobi Paryante, 43: Dedicated family man and accomplished athlete

Naomi Shitrit Azulay, 52: Personal trainer and one of 10 siblings

Lior Waitzman, 32: Netflix soundman was training for Ironman

Mor Cohen, 24: Talented athlete was a pioneer in Israel’s lacrosse scene

Haim Bennaim, 55: Landscape architect and avid cyclist

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: Top row, left-to-right: Naomi Shitrit Azulay, Mor Cohen, Lior Waitzman; Middle: Roni Petrovski, Haim Bennaim, Lt. Yonatan Goutin; Bottom: Lior Asulin, Kobi Paryante, Cpt. Eden Nimri. (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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Magid discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, as well as the talks the two leaders held with families of US hostages, who expressed some hope for the first time in months, regarding the possibility for an imminent hostage deal.

Magid also reviews the prime minister's meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and her remarks to the press afterwards, during which she emphasized the suffering in Gaza, comments that the Prime Minister's Office said could harm chances for a deal.

Wrobel talks about Israeli software platform Cyabra, which tracks fake users and accounts on social media to root out disinformation, and plans to list its shares on Nasdaq.

Wrobel also discusses new defense technologies that have emerged during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the group of Texas-based and Israeli entrepreneurs that raised funds to invest in Israeli early-stage defense tech startups, particularly from Texas, a US state that remains friendly toward Israel.

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

Discussed articles include:

Biden, Harris tell Netanyahu it’s time to seal hostage deal as families turn hopeful

Ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meet, official says they spoke July 4 for 1st time in years

Harris: I won’t stay silent on Gaza suffering; Israel: Her words harm chances for deal

Harris blasts ‘hate-fueled’ anti-Israel protests where US flag and PM effigy burned, Hamas hailed

Israeli AI startup tracking fake news plans to list on Nasdaq at $70 million valuation

New $50 million Texas fund to scout for battle-tested Israeli defense tech

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: Jonathan Dekel-Chen, center, father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, along with other families of hostages in Gaza, speaks with reporters following their meeting with President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

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