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.

It is day 234 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The commander of Hamas’s so-called "West Bank headquarters" and another top official in the terror group were killed in last night’s Israeli airstrike in Rafah, according to the IDF. The strike, according to Hamas health officials, killed some 35 people. In the strike’s wake, Hamas said that Palestinians must “rise up and march” against the Israeli army’s “massacre” in Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah. How seriously we should take this call to march from Hamas?

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said this morning that he will ask the other 26 European Union member states to issue official backing to the International Court of Justice and take steps to ensure Israel respects its decisions. What other international reactions are we seeing in light of last night's strike.

Hamas fired eight rockets at central Israel yesterday afternoon, marking the most significant attack out of the Gaza Strip in some four months and underscoring some of the challenges remaining for the Israeli military as it seeks to oust the Palestinian group from its last major stronghold. While some MKs call for the chief of staff's ouster, Horovitz explains what these rockets from Rafah may represent.

National Unity leader and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz submitted Sunday morning to the cabinet secretariat a proposal for a government resolution to establish a state commission of inquiry into the events surrounding the October 7 Hamas invasion and massacre and the subsequent, ongoing war in Gaza. Too soon?

The Israeli military’s envoy to negotiations aimed at freeing hostages held in Gaza expressed hopelessness over the chances of reaching a deal with the current government at the helm, according to a report on Sunday, the latest in a series of apparently leaked statements broadcasting the IDF general’s frustration with Jerusalem’s refusal to move closer to Hamas’s position in negotiations. What agenda is this leak serving?

The B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem gave awards to two Israeli journalists on Sunday evening at an annual ceremony recognizing excellence in reporting on Diaspora Jewry. The two reporters recognized were Canaan Lidor, The Times of Israel’s Jewish World reporter, and Channel 12’s Europe correspondent Elad Simchayoff.

Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy gave a keynote address at the event, calling to create an elite unit of professional spokespeople in all languages and all time zones. If you will it, it is no dream?

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF says it targeted Hamas as Palestinians claim 35 dead in strike on Gaza’s Rafah

Rafah rocket volley targets Tel Aviv area, in first such attack in 4 months

IDF negotiator said to pan PM’s handling of hostage talks as they’re set to resume

Gantz submits proposal for state investigation into October 7 invasion and Gaza war

ToI’s Lidor, Channel 12’s Simchayoff receive B’nai B’rith Diaspora coverage awards

The stunning rise, curious suspension and insistent return of Israel’s star spokesman

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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 look at the destruction after an Israeli strike near where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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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.

It is day 233 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of three more hostages from the northern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation, the military announced Friday morning. Orión Hernández Radoux, 30, Hanan Yablonka, 42, and Michel Nisenbaum, 59, were all killed on October 7, according to “reliable intelligence.” Fabian debriefs on what we know of this risky operation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received four communiques from the Military Intelligence Directorate in the spring and summer of 2023 warning him about how the country’s enemies were viewing the upheaval in Israeli society at the time. Why did the IDF reveal these letters now and what did they contain?

The Friday publication of a video of an apparent Israel Defense Forces reservist threatening mutiny if the government doesn’t pursue “complete victory” over Hamas has sparked strong condemnations. How is the prime minister's son involved and what is happening now with the alleged reservist?

There are a spate of rumors being reported by some media outlets about an alleged kidnapping of an IDF soldier. Fabian attempts to bring clarity.

Following the International Court of Justice ruling on Friday, has fighting changed in Rafah?

The US-built aid pier was meant to be a game-changer in bringing hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid to Gazan residents. We hear about some recent growing pains.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF recovers bodies of three hostages from north Gaza; all were killed on October 7

IDF says Netanyahu was warned 4 times in 2023 about how enemies saw internal discord

Politicians slam pro-Netanyahu reservist’s ‘dangerous’ call for mutiny; suspect held

IDF denies Hamas claim terror group captured soldiers during Gaza fighting

IDF presses ahead with Rafah offensive after World Court’s ambiguous halt order

US naval vessels disconnect from Gaza aid pier, wash up on Israeli beaches

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 25, 2024. (Eyad Baba / 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.

It is day 232 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The International Court of Justice issued an order yesterday late afternoon saying, “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” the ruling stated.

Horovitz parses that key sentences and explains what the five of 15 justices who wrote opinions stated. We also hear how some international media and some politicians interpreted the court order as well as Israel's response.

Tonight, as every Saturday night for the past many months, there are protests around the country, both in support of the hostages’ families, and against the government. Horovitz delves into some of the treatment afforded family members there and updates us on the new start to hostage negotiations.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Confused by the ICJ’s decision on Gaza? Blame the judges’ deliberate ambiguity

ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah operations that risk destruction of civilian population

After ICJ ruling, Israel says it ‘has not and will not’ destroy Rafah’s civilian population

Four ICJ judges argue court order does not require IDF to stop all Rafah operations

A fateful road not taken: Netanyahu seems set to spurn Saudi normalization

After Mossad chief’s trip, Israeli official says hostage talks to resume next week

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Troops of the Givati Brigade operate in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout image published May 23, 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.

It is day 231 of the war with Hamas. Political reporter Tal Schneider and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "soon" give an address to a joint session of Congress. Schneider wonders at Netanyahu's motivations for this speech and compares it to his previous House address.

Likud members and members of Knesset are taking note of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's recent challenge to Netanyahu's decision-making during the war. What is Schneider seeing about their “pragmatism”?

In the first three months of the war, activity was at a low in the Knesset. But Schneider points out that with the declaration of war, the government was automatically accorded broad authorities with very little oversight. She brings us new research.

About a year ago, a research team led by Tel Aviv University’s Omri Bronstein found that the entire Black Sea urchin population living on coral reefs off the southern city of Eilat had been wiped out in weeks. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Surkes brings the full story.

The State of Nature 2023, the tenth report of the National Ecosystem Assessment Program (“Maarag” in Hebrew), was published in the run-up to Wednesday’s World Biodiversity Day. There’s good news -- and a lot of bad news. 

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF recovers bodies of three hostages from north Gaza, who were killed on October 7

Netanyahu will ‘soon’ address joint session of US Congress, House speaker announces

Deadly pathogen that wiped out Eilat’s sea urchins reaches Indian Ocean

World Biodiversity Day report: Israel’s butterflies, birds, reptiles in serious decline

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks against the US-led international nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, 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.

It is day 230 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabina joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Last night the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a heavily redacted 3-minute video showing the October 7 abduction of Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, all soldiers. All five are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. As the mother of a female fighter, this is a nightmare scenario for me. We hear what was included in the footage and why it is being released now.

The Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion and other forces under the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade began a new pinpoint raid in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun in recent days and three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting. We hear about the ongoing operations there.

The Rafah operation appears to be broadening as residents are increasingly leaving the city for the humanitarian zone and Israeli tanks have advanced nearer to the heart of Rafah. Fabian updates us on fighting in the city and along the Philadelphi Corridor.

Twelve Palestinians were killed as the military launched what it said was a counter-terrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday morning. What was the stated reason for the operation?

In the north, the commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit in the terror group’s coastal division was killed in an airstrike Monday. We hear updates.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was presented on Tuesday with a lengthy report laying out how the country could effectively recruit and integrate members of the ultra-Orthodox community into the Israel Defense Forces.
We learn about several of the recommendations from the 49-page document.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Hostage families release clip of 5 female troops’ abduction to push for their freedom

After release of hostage video, war cabinet okays resumption of stalled truce talks

3 soldiers killed in north Gaza; IDF advances in Rafah, locates rocket launchers

Palestinians say 7 killed, 9 wounded as IDF launches counter-terror op in Jenin

IDF says Hezbollah’s coastal rocket commander killed in drone strike

Gallant given report on ‘practical, applicable’ ways to draft Haredi men into IDF

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Large images of hostages Naama Levy and Liri Albag are held above the crowd as protesters in Tel Aviv call for a hostage deal, April 11, 2024. (Danor Aharon/ Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

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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.

It is day 229 of the war with Hamas. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The leaders of Norway, Ireland and Spain announced Wednesday that their countries will recognize a Palestinian state within days, sparking a diplomatic row with Israel. Berman dives in.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that Israel might not be willing to embrace a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia if it means agreeing to clear progress toward a Palestinian state. Goren and Berman weigh in on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be open to such a deal, and if so, under which US president?

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi on Tuesday night backtracked on his order to confiscate equipment from the Associated Press news agency that was broadcasting a live feed from southern Israel of adjacent northern Gaza and said the equipment would be returned. Goren explains what happened here and tries to make some sense of it.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Norway, Ireland, Spain move to recognize Palestinian state, drawing Israeli fury

Blinken acknowledges Israel may reject Saudi deal if pathway to Palestinian state required

US indicates initial satisfaction with changes to Israeli military plans for Rafah

Karhi reverses decision to seize AP equipment that broadcasts live feed of Gaza

Brief block of AP live feed shows how ambiguity in law can restrict war coverage

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: FILE - A boy waves a Palestinian flag as demonstrators march during a protest in support of Palestinians and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in Barcelona, Spain, on Jan. 20, 2024. (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.

It is day 228 of the war with Hamas. Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Official Israel was shocked yesterday by the televised announcement by the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan that he has applied for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In parallel, Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas’s senior leadership -- Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh. Sharon explains the court's remit and dives into what may happen next.

South Africa alleged at the International Court of Justice at special hearings on Thursday and Friday that Israel’s current limited offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah is Jerusalem’s “end game” in its effort to commit genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, by destroying what the South African team described as the last habitable area of the coastal enclave. It has asked the court to order Israel to halt its military operation. Sharon explains how facts on the ground may sway the court's view.

Bands of extremist youths halted trucks in several places around the country Sunday night in what appeared to be the continuation of a coordinated, often-violent campaign to halt the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza for as long as Israeli hostages are still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. We hear about one such instance that Borschel-Dan witnessed and Sharon delves into the group that is thought to be behind the obstructions.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Legal earthquake: ICC charges against Netanyahu would be unprecedented in court’s history

Full text of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s application for arrest warrants

Israel pans Gaza ‘distortions’ at World Court, says Pretoria aims to keep Hamas in power

Ultranationalist youths persist with coordinated campaign to block Gaza aid trucks

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) at the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, May 5, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/ GPO) and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed / 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.

It is day 227 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Police and anti-government demonstrators clashed this morning near the Sha’ar Hagai Junction on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway as demonstrators from the Brothers in Arms group calling for a hostage release deal tried to block the highway and were dispersed by police. Several groups are heading to Jerusalem to demonstrate outside the Knesset as it resumes today. Berman explains what we know about hostage talks. 

The Iranian Red Crescent said this morning that the bodies of President Ebrahim Raisi and others who died in a helicopter crash have been recovered, and search operations have ended. What happens now for Iran?

Visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan laid out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday the opportunity currently available for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia if Jerusalem agrees to a pathway to a future Palestinian state. Berman weighs whether there is a realistic chance for normalization during the ongoing war.

Last week, all eyes were on the Israel-Egypt relationship as the country sounded fury when the IDF continued pinpoint operations in Rafah. What's happening now?

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu said to reject negotiators’ bid to formulate new hostage deal proposal

Iran’s Raisi confirmed dead in helicopter crash near Azerbaijan border

Raisi’s death doesn’t change Iranian policy, but will spark fight for power

Saudi ties in reach but hinge on path to Palestinian state, Sullivan tells reluctant PM

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: A woman reads a newspaper with a front-page report on the crash of the Iranian president's helicopter outside a kiosk in Tehran on May 20, 2024. (Atta Kenare / 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.

It is day 226 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Last night, the Israel Defense Forces announced that soldiers had recovered the body of an additional hostage from the Gaza Strip, after the announcement the previous day that three slain captives had been returned in a special mission. Fabian describes the mission that brought back the remains of Ron Benjamin, Amit Buskila, Itzhak Gelerenter and Shani Louk.

The IDF announced the deaths of two soldiers killed during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. Fabian describes the current battles in Gaza, from the north to the south.

On Friday, the IDF confirmed carrying out an airstrike in eastern Lebanon close to the border with Syria, killing a top al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya operative who worked alongside Hamas. We hear how widespread Hamas is inside Lebanon and how the attacks from Hezbollah are increasingly escalating.

An Israeli airstrike in the West Bank city of Jenin late Friday night targeted a command room belonging to a local terror network and killed a terrorist behind the murder of an Israeli in May 2023. Fabian describes the use of a fighter jet in this strike.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF announces recovery of body of Ron Benjamin from Gaza, says he was killed on Oct. 7

IDF says 2 soldiers killed, 4 seriously wounded during fighting in southern Gaza

IDF strike kills Hamas-linked senior operative near Lebanon’s border with Syria

IDF: Terrorist involved in 2023 murder of Israeli killed in rare West Bank airstrike

Trucks carrying 300 pallets of humanitarian aid roll into Gaza across new US pier

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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: Troops of the 401st Armored Brigade operate in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout image published May 18, 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.

It is day 225 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Biden administration is looking into sanctioning the extremist Israelis involved in the recent spate of attacks targeting humanitarian aid convoys for Gaza civilians. Magid tells us about how widespread of a disturbance this is and what these potential sanctions would mean.

On May 13, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan again set out a 10-point list of the Biden Administration’s views on the ongoing war in Gaza. He later announced that he would visit Saudi Arabia and Israel to discuss the long-shot US effort to broker a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. What does Magid make of the timing of these events and how realistic is this normalization effort? Magid also speaks about the dissonance between the US's goals of stopping Hamas and ending the war.

Magid explains why we recently saw a flurry of Hamas leaders meeting with Turkey's leadership. He also discusses where, if anywhere, they could be rehoused if truly thrown out from Qatar.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

US looking to sanction extremist Israelis for attacks on Gaza aid convoys, officials tell ToI

Top Biden aide Sullivan to visit Israel for talks on Saudi ties, Rafah — official

The US aims to wrap up Gaza war. How does that square with its goal of toppling Hamas?

Qatar briefly kicked out Hamas leaders as hostage talks stalled in April — officials

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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. 

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Palestinians carry boxes of humanitarian aid after rushing the trucks transporting the international aid from the US-built Trident Pier near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on May 18, 2024. (AFP)

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