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 214 of the war with Hamas. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and Diaspora reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Israeli military confirmed that its 401st Armored Brigade captured the Gazan side of Rafah Crossing on the Egyptian border this morning. Israel is now in control of all above-ground crossings into Gaza. The crossing was captured amid a “pinpoint operation” against Hamas in “limited areas of eastern Rafah,” the IDF said. Goren weighs in on whether this is a one-and-done operation or the start of the much-talked-about Rafah op.

The New York Times reported this morning that Hamas intends to include the remains of several dead hostages among the 33 captives it says it will release in the first phase of a hostage and truce deal it proposed. Israel has previously insisted that the first stage include only living hostages and had reduced its demand from 40 hostages, with the understanding that not all those in that category were still alive. After Hamas said yesterday it had accepted a deal put forward by mediators, Israel stated that what Hamas put forward was significantly different from what Israel had agreed to.
Where does this leave us?

Lidor has reported from the annual March of the Living in Auschwitz for many years. He talks about why this year, in the shadow of the October 7 massacre by Hamas, it felt so different.

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

Discussed articles include:

Army announces two reserves troops killed in Hezbollah drone attack Monday

Hamas claims to accept ceasefire, hostage deal; Israel: This isn’t what we agreed to

Specifics of a deal Hamas says it accepts, and that Israel says does not meet its terms

Protesters block roads to demand Israel accept ceasefire-hostage deal, halt Rafah push

At Auschwitz, Holocaust survivors scarred by October 7 march in a show of resilience

At Auschwitz march, participants rally around concern over hostages and antisemitism

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: This image grab taken from footage released by the Israeli army on May 7, 2024, shows the 401st Brigade's combat team tanks entering the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on May 7, 2024. (Fayez Nureldine / Israeli Army / 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 213 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his American counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a phone call overnight that Israel was left with no choice but to launch its offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah. Fabian reports on the IDF's evacuation order for Palestinians living in the eastern part of the city, along the border with Egypt.

This potential operation comes after four Israeli soldiers were killed and 11 more were wounded in a Hamas-claimed rocket attack on a staging ground near the Gaza Strip on Sunday. We hear what was and was not targeted in the barrage.

Berman weighs in on whether the timing of the barrage -- during a particularly sensitive moment in hostage negotiations -- was coincidental. We hear updates from the past several days and why Berman thinks the talks are potentially still ongoing.

A siren sounded throughout Israel at 10 am, marking Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. We learn about Holocaust survivor and partisan Dr. Hanan Karshai, who recently died in Jerusalem, aged 98.

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

Discussed articles include:

IDF calls on Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah ahead of planned offensive

Gallant to US defense chief Austin: Israel has ‘no choice’ over Rafah operation after deadly Hamas barrage

3 soldiers killed, 11 hurt inside Israel by Hamas rocket attack from Rafah

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 hold leaflets dropped by Israeli planes calling on them to evacuate ahead of an Israeli military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

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

Iman Zareb, a senior figure in the Iran-backed group’s Rafah Brigade, was killed along with two other Islamic Jihad fighters in an Israeli bombardment on a “hideout apartment” in Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet Security Service said yesterday in a joint statement. We hear more about Zareb and what his terrorist organization's role was on October 7 and until now.

An officer in police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit was seriously wounded and five Palestinian gunmen, members of a terror cell, were killed Saturday during a 12-hour raid in the West Bank town of Dayr al-Ghusun. Fabian explains the goals of the raid and how it was carried out.

Elyakim Libman, 23, an Israeli who was thought to have been abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, was declared dead Friday after his body was found in Israel. We learn how this identification was made, and what led to his murder.

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday announced the promotion of five generals as part of a series of appointments in the General Staff — a forum of senior commanders responsible for the various branches and departments of the military — including the next head of intelligence. As expected, there has been a lot of blowback, both from families of victims and hostages and from politicians.

On Wednesday, Channel 12 news reported that nearly all of the army’s posts along the border with the Gaza Strip failed a routine inspection carried out just three days before Hamas’s October 7 onslaught. Fabian weighs in on why this is troubling, but not exactly a comparable test of the base's readiness that October 7 proved to be.

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

Discussed articles include:

Islamic Jihad commander who led Oct. 7 assault on Sufa killed in Rafah strike — IDF

5 Palestinian gunmen killed, Israeli officer seriously hurt in 12-hour West Bank op

Remains of Elyakim Libman, presumed a hostage since Oct. 7, found in Israel

IDF appoints new intel chief, promotes 4 other generals, despite far-right opposition

Father of soldier killed on Oct. 7 to petition appointment of new IDF intel chief

Report: Many IDF posts on Gaza border failed inspections in days before Oct. 7

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: Elyakim Libman, security guard at the Supernova desert rave who was murdered on October 7, 2023 (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.

It is day 211 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

After a day filled with a flurry of optimistic headlines surrounding the proposed hostage release deal, Taher Nunu, a Hamas official and advisor to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said meetings in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators have begun and Hamas is dealing with their proposals “with full seriousness and responsibility.” However, he reiterated the terror group’s demand that any deal should include an Israeli pullout from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions that Israel has previously rejected. With no real movement on either side, why the media storm?

Qatar is prepared to accept a request from the US for it to expel Hamas’s leaders from Doha and is anticipating one could be made soon, a source familiar with the matter told Magid. If expelled, to where is the terror organization expected to relocate?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a DC event that whatever one thinks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the current government, “what’s important to understand is that much of what he’s doing is not simply a reflection of his politics or his policies; it’s actually a reflection of where a large majority of Israelis are in this moment.” We discuss how this stance is starkly different than previous takes by the Biden administration.

Magid reported onsite from anti-Israel protests at several Chicago area high schools and universities this week. We hear what shocked him.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hamas indicates it may agree to deal; Israeli official insists truce won’t end the war

Qatar anticipating US request to expel Hamas leaders, is open to doing so — source

Blinken says Netanyahu’s handling of war reflects views of ‘a large majority of Israelis’

Gaza campus protests spread to Chicago high schools, alarming Jewish students

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: Campus police stand between demonstrators at a pro-Palestinian, abti-Israel encampment on the campus of the University of Chicago and counter demonstrators after a brief skirmish between the groups on May 3, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/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 210 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and archaeology reporter Gavriel Fiske join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Schneider discusses the latest regarding aid for Gaza, brought in Thursday through Israel's Erez Crossing, rebuilt for trucks after being destroyed by Hamas on October 7, followed by the seizure of the aid by Hamas terrorists. She also describes the temporary floating pier being built by US troops on the Gaza shores for the transfer of additional aid.

Schneider looks at Turkey's decision to halt all trade with Israel, a major blow for both countries given the annual $7 billion turnover in commercial trade, as Turkey erases all traces of Israel from its import and export systems after 75 years of trade.

Fiske explains the complicated science of carbon-dating techniques utilized by a team at the Weizmann Institute who examined the rings of trees and other organic matter to determine the size and breadth of ancient Jerusalem.

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

Discussed articles include:

US says Hamas seized first aid shipment that entered Gaza via reopened Erez crossing

Turkey halts all trade with Israel; Jerusalem denounces ‘dictator’ Erdogan

New carbon-dating techniques enable ‘absolute chronology’ of First Temple-era Jerusalem

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. 

IMAGE: A ship of Freedom Flotilla Coalition anchors at Tuzla seaport in Istanbul, Turkey on April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

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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 209 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz and diplomacy reporter Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Hamas terror group was reportedly slated to submit on Thursday an amended proposal to the one crafted by Qatari, Egyptian and American brokers. It is a proposal that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called "generous" during his recent lightning visit to Israel yesterday. Berman updates us on reports of a deal and Horovitz discusses the optics of Blinken's support. 

During Blinken's visit, he clarified that the US still doesn't believe Israel should carry out a wide-scale Rafah operation. Israel has refused to commit to ending the war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Blinken on Wednesday that the IDF would launch a mass invasion of Rafah to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions in Gaza’s southernmost city regardless of whether or not there is a hostage deal, according to an Israeli official. Horovitz weighs in.

The ongoing protests on university campuses have spread across the globe. Horovitz discusses the phenomenon.

Finally, we hear about Israel's frayed ties with Colombia. 

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

Discussed articles include:

All eyes, still, on Hamas

Hamas indicates it will snub latest hostage deal offer, but says talks to continue

Netanyahu tells Blinken he will not agree to end war on Hamas as part of hostage deal

Colombia to sever ties after months of panning Israel as ‘genocidal’

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. 

IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a meeting with the Israeli president in Tel Aviv, on May 1, 2024. (Abir Sultan / POOL / AFP)

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Wrobel talks about the market's reaction to the proposed ceasefire, with a rise in the shekel and slight gains in shares, although there is a negative outlook from Standard and Poor's because of increased war spending and concerns over an escalation in the north.

She also speaks about the potential deal with US gaming giant Nvidia, which is looking at a billion-dollar deal to purchase two Israeli start-ups, showing its belief in Israeli technology and a vote of confidence in local talent.

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

Discussed articles include:

Far-right minister claims hostage deal throws war goals in ‘trash’ to save hostages

Smotrich threatens to quit gov’t over hostage deal; Eisenkot slams far-right ‘blackmail’

Israeli shares rise and shekel gains as investors watch truce, hostage deal efforts

US chip giant Nvidia snaps up Israeli AI workload management startup

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. 

IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Israelis calling for the release of Hamas hostages held in Gaza, on May 1, 2024 in Tel Aviv (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/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.

It is day 207 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Reports about a potential hostage release deal are, as ever, a rollercoaster of emotions: Yesterday, headlines were filled with positive signs, but today we’re hearing that Israel has decided it will not be sending a delegation to Cairo for hostage talks yet. Berman gives us a sense of where things stand now.

US Congress members from both parties have reportedly warned of retaliation from Washington, amid fears that the International Criminal Court may issue warrants against Israelis, concerned that the move could sink the hostages-for-truce agreement in the works between Israel and Hamas. We hear why the court may suddenly issue these warrants for alleged war crimes perpetrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi -- or at least, why the issue is suddenly in the news again.

Several European member states are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday at the sidelines of a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh. Which states and what could this mean for Israel on the international stage?

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe Israel should go ahead with an offensive in Rafah to end the war against Hamas, according to a new Harvard CAPS Harris poll. Berman shares his experience of overwhelming support for Israel while he was recently in the US.

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

Discussed articles include:

Blinken hopes Hamas takes Israel’s ‘extraordinarily generous’ truce offer

US lawmakers threaten retaliation against UN court over potential Israel arrest warrants

What is the International Criminal Court and why does it worry Israeli leaders?

Israel working to block feared ICC arrest warrants against PM, others over Gaza war

EU top diplomat: At least 5 countries expected to recognize Palestinian state in May

Over 70% of US voters back Israeli offensive in Rafah to defeat Hamas — poll

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. 

IMAGE: A protester with a zipper over her mouth holds a poster showing pictures of Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza during the October 7 attacks, during a demonstration calling for their release in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on April 27, 2024. (Jack Guez / 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 206 of the war with Hamas. Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

In today's in-depth discussion, we step away from Israeli domestic news and delve into the spate of campus protests taking place across the United States.

How seriously should we be taking them? What could be their lingering effects? And should be the lessons learned for Israel?

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

Discussed articles include:

Anti-Israel protesters dig in as some US schools clamp down on encampments

Newsweek: Message From a Gazan to Campus Protesters: You're Hurting the Palestinian Cause

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. 

IMAGE: Students demand their university divests from Israel at George Washington University in Washington, April 27, 2024 (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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

In the past several days, Hamas has released two disturbing videos with Israeli hostages. Israelis await Hamas’s response to the government’s latest proposal for an accord following intense Egyptian mediation but the government has said it won’t wait too long before the expected Rafah operation commences. Fabian puts the pieces together.

We hear about the spread of IDF troops throughout the country and in the West Bank and Gaza as an indication of current hotspots in the ongoing conflict against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned Saturday that full-scale war will not bring residents of northern Israel home, but rather end their presence there “once and for all,” as Hezbollah attacks on the north and Israel strikes in Lebanon continued. Fabian explains what are some of Hezbollah’s capabilities and how Israel can counter them.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hamas airs clip of 2 hostages, as FM says Israel would delay Rafah op for a deal

Hezbollah warns full-scale war may end Israeli presence in north ‘once and for all’

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. 

IMAGE: Illustrative: An Iranian domestically built missile is displayed in front of the portrait of the Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a rally of Iran's Basij paramilitary force in support of the Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, November 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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