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 joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Former US president Donald Trump called on Americans on Sunday to stand united after he was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday and said that “God alone” saved him. In the shooting’s wake, international leaders, especially those who consider themselves Trump allies, drew parallels to other assassination attempts. Berman weighs in.

Likewise, in Jerusalem, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs screened a compilation of video clips showing critics of the government engaging in “incitement against the prime minister” during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. The discussion was not on the cabinet’s original agenda but was added after the attempt on Trump’s life as a warning for what could arise in Israel.

Over the weekend, the IDF conducted a strike targeting leading Hamas terrorist Muhammad Deif and his deputy, Rafa’a Salameh. What are any repercussions in the hostage negotiations so far, as well as the way in which the IDF is conducting the war?

In his first trip to Israel as UK foreign secretary, David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to include the release of all hostages in Gaza. Who did he meet with during his two days in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and what else did he say?

Last week, Berman joined 23 European ambassadors, consuls, and attachés to tour emptied-out areas along Israel’s northern border, as well as the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Safed. What was the point of the trip and what did he experience there?

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

Discussed articles include:

Trump says ‘God alone’ saved him from assassination, urges Americans to unite

After attempt on Trump, cabinet watches video of alleged incitement against Netanyahu

IDF chief says military is creating all the pressure needed on Hamas for hostage deal

Biden to meet with Netanyahu at White House on July 22

Visiting UK foreign secretary urges immediate ceasefire including release of all hostages

Decision on Hezbollah must come ‘very soon’, senior MK tells European diplomats

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: Then-President Donald Trump arrives before a dinner with then-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at Mar-a-Lago, March 7, 2020, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Muhammad Deif, together with his deputy Rafa’a Salameh, were targeted in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning as they were reportedly present in an above-ground building between the al-Mawasi designated humanitarian zone and the city of Khan Younis. Before we turn to the operation, we hear about its targets?

Four IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, during a rocket attack Saturday on the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, as cross-border skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued to flare. Fabian updates us on the conflict in the north.

The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it struck facilities belonging to the Syrian Army overnight in response to the launch of two drones from Syria at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat the day before. What do we know about the group behind the drones?

The government will vote today on extending mandatory service for male Israel Defense Forces soldiers to three years, as well as women who serve in combat and some roles. Fabian explains the changes and talks about how the Defense Ministry is beginning to work on conscripting haredi men -- starting next month.

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

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu says ‘not absolutely certain’ Deif killed, ‘cracks’ appearing in Hamas

IDF strike targets Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif; group claims at least 90 killed

4 IDF troops hurt, including 1 seriously, as north peppered with rockets and drones

IDF says it hit Syrian military facilities in response to drones targeting Eilat

Ministers to vote Sunday on extending male mandatory IDF service to 3 years

Defense minister says IDF will start drafting ultra-Orthodox men next 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 the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Palestinians inspect the damage at a site hit by an Israeli operation targeting Hamas's shadowy military commander Mohammad Deif in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on this bonus episode of The Times of Israel's weekly What Matters Now podcast.

Family members of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, along with hundreds of supporters, are marching today in the final leg of a four-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling for a deal with Hamas to secure the release of their loved ones.

The organizers are a group of around a dozen hostage families operating under the name “Kulanu Hatufim” (“We are all hostages”). They are known for their fiery protests outside IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv and for blocking the Ayalon Highway every Saturday night.

The small march began Wednesday in Tel Aviv at Israel Defense Forces headquarters. It will culminate tonight after Shabbat in a protest outside the Prime Minister’s Office in the capital.

Rettig Gur discusses the historical efficacy of protests and whether this time, they just might succeed.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hostage families continue four-day trek from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, demanding deal

Calling for deal, hostage families continue four-day march to Jerusalem

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: Families and friends of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call for their return as they begin a four-day march from Tel Aviv to the Prime Minister's house in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

The long-awaited Israel Defense Forces probe into the events of October 7 on Kibbutz Be’eri was published last night, citing the army’s colossal errors in judgment and the residents’ bravery.

While hundreds of Hamas fighters infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 101 civilians and 31 security personnel were killed from a community of around 1,000 residents. A further 30 residents and two more civilians were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorists, 11 of whom still remain in Gaza. At least 125 homes in the community were damaged and destroyed amid the fighting that finally ended only on October 9.

The probe found that for seven hours, only 26 armed Israelis were present in Be’eri, facing down around 340 terrorists.

The Be’eri probe is aimed at drawing specific operational conclusions for the military. Fabian describes specific battles and the timeline of events, how detailed the investigation is -- and whether the IDF is implementing lessons learned.

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

Discussed articles include:

Failure and slaughter: IDF’s Be’eri probe shows army’s colossal errors, residents’ bravery

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: Part of a house destroyed in the October 7 Hamas infiltration of Kibbutz Be'eri near the Israeli-Gaza border, October 25, 2023. (Edi Israel/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday his Lebanese terror group would accept Palestinian ally Hamas’s decision on Gaza hostage negotiations and would stop cross-border attacks on Israel if a ceasefire were reached. But would Israel also back down from the conflict on the north?

This week marks a decade to Operation Protective Edge, which took place from July 8-August 26, 2014. Horovitz was on the ground in Gaza’s Shejaiyiya neighborhood earlier this week and saw a location that one of the IDF officers he met with, Lt. Col. Ron Sayag, called a "closing of a circle" from that operation 10 years ago. What did Horovitz see inside the Strip?

The results of an Israel Defense Forces probe into the onslaught and battle on October 7 in the border community of Kibbutz Be’eri, during which tanks shelled a house where Hamas was holding hostages, was presented to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday and were given to residents of Be’eri this morning. Borschel-Dan and Horovitz were in Kibbutz Be'eri and Kfar Aza yesterday. They discuss their impressions.

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

Discussed articles include:

Nasrallah: If Hamas agrees to ceasefire with Israel, Hezbollah will also halt attacks

Shejaiya is at least partly uninhabitable, but troops here say Hamas will return if it can

IDF chief shown results of probe into October 7 fighting at Kibbutz Be’eri

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: This handout picture released on July 11, 2024 shows an Israeli soldiers during operations in the Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Magid discusses the latest regarding the hostage talks taking place in Doha, and the possible sticking points for Israel and Hamas with regard to the proposed three phases of the deal that would take place over the course of three, six-week blocks.

Magid looks at the timing of the deal, which will require several more weeks of mediation, and how that timing could coincide with aspects of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned visit to Washington, DC to address Congress on July 24.

He also discusses statements and details about Israel, antisemitism and campus protests in the 16-page document from the Republican Party ahead of their upcoming convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Finally, Magid reviews the ongoing "freakout" by Democrats after President Joe Biden's dismal debate with former President Donald Trump, and how Biden is pushing forward with his campaign.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hamas accuses Netanyahu of placing ‘obstacles’ to truce-hostage negotiations

Netanyahu issues list of 4 ‘nonnegotiable’ demands as hostage talks slated to restart

Optimism in truce-hostage talks: Mossad chief goes to and from Doha, Hamas briefs Hezbollah

GOP platform pledges to stand with Israel, deport ‘pro-Hamas radicals’ from US

In interview, Biden says only ‘the Lord Almighty’ could make him drop out of race

‘Not Biden’s policy’: Official says Democrats’ Israel plank won’t include aid cutoff

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: Thousands of protesters on Begin Road in Tel Aviv on July 7, 2024 in calls for a deal now! (Credit: Danor Aharon)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Knesset reporter Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Sokol reviews the Knesset on Monday, as hostage brother Danny Elgarat was thrown out of a committee meeting by committee chair Simcha Rothman after a disagreement with the brother of another hostage about the hostage deal under discussion. 

Sokol discusses the comments and images that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich offered as he voiced his disapproval for the hostage deal, and his underlying threat to bolt the coalition if the government agrees to the deal, along with other Knesset members' recent remarks that this government may not last much longer.

Smotrich's ultra-right ally, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, then threatened ultra-Orthodox party Shas that he would not support their narrowed bill for community rabbis, calling Shas "a lapdog of the left," while Shas Knesset member Aryeh Deri retorted, by calling Ben Gvir "an inflated balloon."

Sokol also mentions the statement made by Knesset member Gideon Sa'ar hinting that former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is considering a return to politics.

Steinberg talks about some recent projects for hostage families, the bereaved and survivors, including free tattoos for about 120 Israelis, and a hostage family project called "Week of Goodness."

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

Discussed articles include:

‘Shame!’: Knesset ushers drag brother of hostage out of meeting for interrupting

Some in coalition threaten its demise as Ben Gvir blocks key Shas bill, slams PM and Deri

Holding a Sinwar victory pic, Smotrich pans hostage deal; Lapid to PM: We’ll back it

Gideon Sa’ar says former PM Bennett planning a return to politics

Beauty through the pain: Survivors of October 7 inked by visiting tattoo artists

Parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin launch ‘Week of Goodness’

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: Hostage mothers, activists and Knesset members protest at the Knesset, marking nine months of their captivity, on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Last night, ahead of the Israeli negotiating team’s departure for further hostage deal talks in Cairo and Doha later this week, Netanyahu presented a list of what he said were nonnegotiable Israeli demands. What was included in this list?

Marking nine months since the October 7 Hamas massacre, President Isaac Herzog on Sunday asserted that a majority of the public is in favor of a deal to free hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the brutal assault. What does this statement represent?

Gaza City residents say that they are seeing some of the heaviest fighting since the start of the war and the Israeli military sent columns of tanks into the city from different directions. At the same time, an Israeli military pilot to create “humanitarian enclaves” for Gazan civilians unaffiliated with Hamas is reportedly set to be rolled out in two northern Gaza cities, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahi. Berman weighs in.

Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom’s newly elected prime minister, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Sunday morning call that he looks forward to “further deepening the close relationship between the two countries.” What else was discussed, according to 10 Downing Street?

The so-called moderate candidate won Iran’s runoff elections this weekend. Under Masoud Pezeshkian, could Iran be more prone to conduct nuclear talks?

Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that during the first hours of the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught in southern Israel, IDF troops on the ground were instructed to prevent the kidnapping of soldiers into Gaza by whatever means necessary, or the controversial “Hannibal Protocol.” Berman discusses this morally problematic directive that was rescinded in 2016.

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

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu issues list of ‘nonnegotiable’ demands as hostage talks slated to restart

Herzog: An ‘absolute majority’ of the nation supports a hostage deal

IDF launches new operation in Gaza City, troops raid UNRWA compound used by Hamas

Israel to reportedly try creating Hamas-free ‘bubble’ zones in northern Gaza

UK’s Starmer to Netanyahu: There is ‘urgent need’ for Gaza ceasefire

Election of Iran’s Pezeshkian raises prospects of new nuclear talks with the West

IDF officers invoked defunct ‘Hannibal Protocol’ during Oct. 7 fighting – 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: People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas, in Jerusalem, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode marking nine months of war.

A 28-year-old Israeli man was seriously wounded this morning as Hezbollah fired some 20 rockets at Lower Galilee. The attack was in response to the killing of a prominent member of the Hezbollah terror group’s air defense unit, who was targeted in an Israeli drone strike in northeastern Lebanon on Saturday. Fabian fills us in.

Seven Palestinian gunmen, including members of a cell behind a deadly roadside bombing attack last week, were killed in a drone strike and in clashes with troops in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Friday morning, the Israeli military said. Fabian describes new tactics being used in the West Bank over the past year.

Fabian describes an upswing in Hamas use of "civilian buildings" that are targeted by the IDF: The Khan Younis municipality building in the southern Gaza Strip was hit by a drone strike overnight. This comes after The IDF yesterday confirmed carrying out an airstrike at a United Nations-run school in the central Gaza Strip, saying the facility was used by Hamas operatives as a command center.

Nine months into the war, anti-government protesters blocked highways and gathered at interchanges across the country in a call for elections and hostage deal as part of a “day of disruption.” Fabian breaks down what are the IDF's achievements during the war and describes the struggle facing Israelis who don't want the hundreds of lives lost to be in vain.

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

Discussed articles include:

IDF kills key member of Hezbollah air defense in strike deep inside Lebanon

IDF says it struck UNRWA school in Gaza used by Hamas as command center

IDF: 7 Palestinian gunmen killed, including cell behind roadside bomb, in Jenin raid

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 soldiers operate in Gaza in a handout photo published July 7, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

In a special episode, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Rick Jacobs joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in The Times of Israel's Jerusalem offices.

Life for most Jews around the world shifted after the October 7 Hamas massacre. Jacobs speaks about the sharply rising antisemitism versus the rise of Jews who are reaching out and strengthening their affiliations and connections to organized Judaism.

We hear about what Jacobs has witnessed on college campuses in the past nine months and his thoughts on how progressive Judaism may need a rebalancing between the values of universalism and particularism.

He sees the young anti-Zionist Jews taking part in the anti-Israel protests and an opportunity for engagement, but worries about the safety of their visibly Jewish colleagues who are increasingly uncomfortable on campuses.

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: President of the Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Rick Jacobs at The Times of Israel's Jerusalem office, July 4, 2024. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/ToI)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.