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 194 of the war with Hamas. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Fabian discusses the latest in Gaza, as Israeli tanks pushed back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with two brigades joining ongoing missions in Gaza while other troops are situated outside Gaza, on the border, preparing themselves to enter for the expected large-scale strike on Rafah.

He also talks about the latest in the north, as two Hezbollah commanders were killed in IDF strikes following attack drones that injured three Israelis in the Beit Hillel community in the north and no sense of when 60,000 evacuated Israelis can return home.

Fabian also speaks about ongoing clashes in the West Bank, where violence has broken out between Israeli settlers and Palestinians following the Friday killing of 14-year-old shepherd Benjamin Achimeir, near Ramallah. There are considerable troops located in the West Bank, says Fabian, but it is complicated to contain three fronts simultaneously.

Surkes turns to the passage of the first reading of the climate bill, long-discussed but narrow in terms of planned targets, and largely controlled by budgetary expectations from the Finance Ministry.

She also discusses the long-awaited shipment of livestock from Australia, turned around in the fall because of maritime attacks by the Houthis, then relaunched again in March, and noted for the crowded conditions of the lambs and cows.

Surkes then describes several building developments in Jerusalem, the planned Burj Jerusalem near Yad Vashem and Har Herzl, along with a long-debated expansion of a city police station on the city's Lupine Hill, both fiercely opposed by several community groups.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 17, 2024

Commando seriously hurt as Israeli tanks said to push back into northern Gaza

2 Hezbollah commanders killed in IDF strikes as attack drones injure 3 in north

Two Palestinians shot dead by settlers in clashes near West Bank village

Knesset passes 1st reading of climate bill without any clear budgeting

Controversial shipment of livestock reaches Israel from Australia after months-long odyssey

Planned ‘Jerusalem Burj’ skyscraper draws opposition over proximity to landmarks

Police revive plan to build complex on beloved Jerusalem hill, angering residents

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

IMAGE: Members of the emergency squad of Safed take part in a drill on April 5, 2024. (Photo by 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.

It is day 193 of the war with Hamas. Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani and political reporter Sam Sokol join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Today, Israel reassured Arab countries in the region that its response to Iran’s attack will not place them in danger. One neighboring country, Jordan, which was a player in foiling the Iran strike Saturday night, is presented with an even more complicated situation with its large Palestinian population. Pacchiani weighs in.

On Sunday, far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government issued strident calls for Israel to react to Iran’s attack on Israel with a show of force, while other moderate members of the coalition, including war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, urged a balanced approach aimed at avoiding a spiraling escalation. Sokol explains who is currently calling for what.

Yesterday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party said that it was no longer bound by coalition discipline, following opposition by ultra-Orthodox coalition parties to an expansion of his authority. We hear what this expansion is and how the Haredim are play quid pro quo.

We hear impressions from a long interview Pacchiani conducted with Gazan journalist Sami Obeid, who brings his thoughts on who should run the Gaza Strip after the war and life on the ground in Rafah right now.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 16, 2024

Jordan’s help against Iran shows relationship with Israel still strong, despite Gaza

Shaken by daily mass protests on Gaza, Jordan accuses ‘infiltrators’ of stoking unrest

Should Israel launch an immediate retaliatory attack on Iran? Lawmakers are divided

Ben Gvir says no longer bound by coalition discipline, in spat with Haredi factions

Gazan journalist to ToI: We, the people of Gaza, are also living like hostages of Hamas

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 - Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, February 16, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP)

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

To start Berman, who is currently in the United States shares how American media has depicted the foiled Iran strike.

Berman wrote an analysis following the Iran strike that examined the roles played by Israel's neighbors and Centcom partners. He analyzes how this teamwork developed and where it can go from here.

Neighboring Arab countries played greater and lesser roles in foiling the Iranian projectiles, including Jordan, but also Saudi Arabia. In an interview with the Israeli Kan broadcaster, a Saudi official criticized Iran for having engineered a war in Gaza in order to destroy the progress it was making in normalizing relations with Israel. Berman weighs in.

After over three hours of deliberations on Sunday afternoon, Israel’s five-person war cabinet did not reach a decision as to how the country would respond to Iran’s massive missile and drone barrage on Saturday night. Berman describes the United States' point of view as well as some potential strike options on Israel's table.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 15, 2024

With its aerial attack, Iran could break Israel’s isolation and reframe the Gaza war

‘Not seeking war’: White House stresses US won’t join Israeli counterstrike on Iran

War cabinet said to favor hitting back at Iran but divided over when and how

Should Israel launch an immediate retaliatory attack on Iran? Lawmakers are divided

US House to vote on Israel aid package following Iran attack

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: In this photo obtained from the US Department of Defense, the US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) transits the Strait of Hormuz on November 26, 2023. (Ruskin Naval / US Department of Defense / 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 191 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Late Saturday night, Iran launched a large wave of some 300 attack drones and missiles from its territory toward the Jewish state, in the first-ever direct attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic, triggering air raid sirens throughout the country early Sunday as the military worked to intercept the Iranian projectiles.

Fabian walks us through the timeline of the Iranian attack and explains what appears to have been Iran's goal. We hear which allies helped out in foiling the attack and how the long-range Arrow air defense system managed to knock down the “vast majority” of the 120 ballistic missiles, according to the IDF, although some penetrated Israel’s defenses and struck the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel.

We hear about some sense of the IDF's next steps and how it may retaliate.

The United States took one of the lead roles in staving off the attack on Israel. Horovitz weighs in on what this means for the reportedly fraying Israel-US relationship, as well as that with Israel's other allies, including Jordan.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 14, 2024

Waiting for the drones and the missiles, at the opening of a regional conflict

Iran fires some 300 drones, missiles at Israel in first-ever direct attack; 99% downed

As Israel waits for potential attack, what are Iran’s missile and drone capabilities?

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: Demonstrators wave Iran's flag and Palestinian flags as they gather at Palestine Square in Tehran on April 14, 2024, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel. (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 190 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday found the body of a 14-year-old Jerusalem resident Benjamin Achimeir who went missing while shepherding in the West Bank northeast of Ramallah a day earlier. Achimeir was murdered in a terror attack, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement and clashes were reported between settlers and Palestinians on both Friday and today, leaving at least one Palestinian dead. Magid gives us a fuller picture.

Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rappelled down from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel Saturday. We hear what has been the US security assessment prior to this attack and how President Joe Biden has responded to the reportedly imminent threat.

Despite huge steps taken by Israel to increase humanitarian aid following a contentious phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a week ago, the Biden administration’s Gaza humanitarian envoy warned Wednesday that “there is an imminent risk of famine for the majority, if not all, the 2.2 million population of Gaza.” What else did David Satterfield say during a virtual event hosted by the American Jewish Committee?

On Wednesday, former president Donald Trump said bluntly, “Any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined.” Magid weighs in on whether these statements may sway some Jewish voters.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 13, 2024

Settlers riot in West Bank after Israeli teen murdered; Palestinian killed, others hurt

Body of Israeli teen found in West Bank; IDF says he was murdered in terror attack

Despite Hamas’s hopes and Biden’s fears, Ramadan didn’t spread Gaza war to Jerusalem

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seizes Israeli-linked ship with 25 crew near Strait of Hormuz

Biden predicts Iran attack on Israel ‘sooner than later,’ renews warning: ‘Don’t’

‘It’s an established fact’: US envoy says most Gazans at risk of imminent famine

Trump: Jewish Biden voters ‘should have their head examined’

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 Palestinian inspects the damage to his belongings in the village of Mughayir near Ramallah in the West Bank on April 13, 2024, after an alleged attack by Israeli settlers on the village. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / 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 189 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and Arab Affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Schneider speaks about the latest headlines regarding Iran, which could strike Israeli soil within the next 48 hours according to intelligence from the US. She discusses the differences between previous attacks carried out by Iranian proxies on Israeli embassies and the threat posed by one possibly pointed toward Israel.

Schneider also discusses the information recently shared by the US administration in The Wall Street Journal regarding the number of hostages still presumed alive, and how six months of starvation, difficult conditions and lack of medications along with IDF missile hits may have left fewer hostages alive than expected.

Pacchiani talks about Hamas and Hezbollah operatives living and working in European countries, opening dozens of non-profit organizations in order to work with Palestinian loyalists and make inroads into local societies, often under the noses of security forces.

He also mentions an interfaith iftar meal at the end of Ramadan, held in west Jerusalem, where food, music and conversation were the cornerstone of the event after months of war.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 12, 2024

US intel said to indicate Iran could strike ‘Israeli soil’ in next 24 to 48 hours

US, Israeli officials fear most hostages held by Hamas are dead — report

Empty seder tables at Nir Oz as survivors mark an unhappy Passover without hostages

Europe turning blind eye to Hamas and Hezbollah networks in its territory, experts say

At interfaith Ramadan iftar in Jerusalem, breaking fast under the shadow of war

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: Participants in the Let My People Go march hold posters of all the dates that the hostages have been held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza, on April 12, 2024 (Courtesy Tanya Zion-Waldoks)

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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 188 of the war with Hamas. Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Israel will open a new land crossing into the Gaza Strip designed mainly to facilitate deliveries to Palestinians of aid from overseas or from neighboring Jordan. Sharon updates us on a High Court of Justice petition from Israeli NGOs that would go much further than that to bring humanitarian aid into the strip.

A group of Canadian citizens and residents whose children and parents were murdered by Hamas during the October 7 atrocities has filed an application in the Canadian Federal Court to the country’s attorney general demanding the annulment of the Canadian government’s decision in March to resume funding to UNRWA, the UN agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians. Sharon explains the issues at hand in this case.

Ghert-Zand recently spoke with Dr. Raquel C. Gardner, director of clinical research of the Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center at Sheba Medical Center, who is an expert in the "invisible" side-effect of war, traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hear what it is and how she is raising awareness in Israel.

During a site visit to Beit Halohem, a center for rehabilitating former soldiers, Ghert-Zand viewed a ceramics exhibit and was struck by the pieces created by Amnon Sharon, who was taken captive during a fierce tank battle on the Golan Heights on October 6, 1973, the first day of the Yom Kippur War. He was held and tortured for eight months and is now bringing this experience into the open through this unique PTSD treatment.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 11, 2024

High Court gives government six days to submit answers on Gaza humanitarian crisis

Gallant says Israel plans to ‘flood Gaza with aid’ via new crossing into Strip’s north

Relatives of October 7 victims file suit against Canadian resumption of UNRWA funding

Invisible traumatic brain injuries in wounded IDF soldiers may have devastating effects

Israeli survivor of captivity and torture in Syria exorcises his demons by sculpting clay

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: Masked members of the so-called 'People's Protection Committees' guard a humanitarian aid truck in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 3, 2024. (Said Khatib / 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 187 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

US President Joe Biden told Spanish television in an interview that he’s urging “the Israelis to just call for” a six-to-eight-week ceasefire. Since most other demands made by the US last week in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been implemented, is this one-sided pause also on the horizon?

This week, Netanyahu said that he has circled a date in his calendar for the Rafah operation. But, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US counterpart Lloyd Austin during a call on Monday that Israel has not set a date. Why the conflicting information?

In a statement marking Eid Al-Fitr, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank alongside Muslims suffering in some of the world’s worst conflicts. And last week, United States Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a Boston mosque that Israel will be found guilty of genocide in the International Court of Justice. Do these remarks painting Israel as the oppressor represent mainstream Democrat thinking today?

The IDF said this morning that Nahal Brigade soldiers are still battling Hamas gunmen in the central Gaza corridor. We hear how the massive troop drawdown is playing out on the ground in the Gaza Strip and are updated on large-scale humanitarian aid efforts.

Early this morning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tehran will retaliate for Israel’s alleged bombing of a building in Damascus earlier this month. Among the threats that Israel is taking seriously are cyberattacks, drone strikes and long-range missiles. Fabian explains.

Fabian takes a look at the use of drones in the war so far, as well as a ship-mounted version of the Iron Dome missile defense system that intercepted a drone that entered Israeli airspace near the southernmost city of Eilat shortly before midnight on Monday.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 10, 2024

Biden urges Israel ‘to just call for’ 6-8 week ceasefire, slams PM’s handling of Gaza war

Contradicting Netanyahu, Gallant told Austin no date set for Rafah op — source

US Sen. Warren: World Court has ‘ample evidence’ to find Israel guilty of genocide

Cyberattacks by Iran, Hezbollah have tripled during the war, says Israel cyber czar

In first, IDF says ship-mounted Iron Dome downs hostile drone over Eilat

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: Israeli soldiers gather around army tanks stationed in an area along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on April 10, 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 186 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Berman speaks about the latest in hostage negotiations, the role that Qatar is currently playing in the talks, the fact that the US is leaning into the talks given its desire to see a post-Hamas future, and the flexibility Israel is showing on certain details.

He then looks at the statement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made about a firm date for entering Gaza's Rafah, the last "unconquered city," says Berman. He notes some of the preparations made for evacuating Gazans from that area, but adds that it will be a unit-on-unit fight that "can't be a tiny operation."

Berman finishes the podcast with a careful look at how Israel has handled the matter of letting humanitarian aid into Gaza throughout the last six months, the lack of initiative on Israel's part at the start of the war, and now that the aid effort is finally happening, it should offer more latitude from Israel's allies and partners.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 9, 2024

Hamas says it won’t compromise on key demands as US leans into hostage talks

Israel has circled date in calendar for repeatedly-pledged Rafah invasion, PM says

Israel’s begrudging approach to humanitarian aid could cost it the war in Gaza

‘Proof is in the results’: US cautiously welcomes Israeli moves on Gaza aid

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: Armed and masked Palestinians seen on trucks loaded with International humanitarian aid entering Gaza through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing, into the southern Gaza Strip on April 3, 2024 (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/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 185 of the war with Hamas. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

This morning, Israeli and Palestinian officials have downplayed reports that a truce and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas could be reached as early as this week. But citing a senior Egyptian official involved in the talks, the Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera reported that talks in Cairo have made “significant progress on several contentious points of agreement.” Goren explores how the recent phone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week is playing a role.

Six months after the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, 70% of those who departed the affected area have returned. The government released data yesterday. Lidor brings us some more numbers.

Also yesterday, 18 prominent rabbis associated with the Shas party and the ultra-Orthodox Sephardi movement signed onto a document rejecting any compromise on the conscription of Haredi Jews – including those who are not studying in yeshivas. Lidor explains why this runs counter to perceived notions of Shas.

Finally, to mark six months of war, Goren explores how October 7 was Israel's national experience of a solar eclipse.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 8, 2024

IDF chief says withdrawal of troops from Gaza doesn’t mean war is close to end

Israel, Hamas downplay report of progress in truce talks amid optimism from Egypt

6 months on, 70% of evacuees from the south are home, but thousands remain in hotels

Shas rabbis spurn compromise on Haredi draft following High Court ruling

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 person holds a handful of spent bullet casings above a bigger pile in Khan Yunis on April 7, 2024, after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern Gaza Strip, six months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks on southern Israel. (AFP)

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