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 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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To mark six months of war with Hamas, we are releasing on The Daily Briefing this bonus episode of What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring one key issue currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, hosted by deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan.

In half a year, Israel has systematically broken down Hamas’s battalions in the Gaza Strip. But in achieving terrible success in its aim to defang the terrorist army, the Jewish state is no longer seen on the world stage as the attacked underdog David, but increasingly reviled as a cruel Goliath.

According to many in the West, it is up to Israel to immediately stop the war regardless of Hamas’s clear ability to regroup and again attack, just as the terror group has publicly vowed to do.

This week, What Matters Now again speaks with public intellectual and philosopher Dr. Micah Goodman. We revisit the raw conversation we held six months ago, mere days after Hamas’s murderous attack, and see just how right Goodman’s predictions were.

In our conversation this week, Goodman explains the completely different framings of the war held by the West and Israel, and how they influence both sides’ actions and words.

And we hear about how Israelis, forever changed by the war, are now standing at a crossroads. Can civil society regroup and reemerge from this war stronger, saner and more united?

Goodman spent the past six months writing his seventh best-selling book, "Hayom Hashmini" ("The Eighth Day"), which was published in late March. He sees the end of this war as an opportunity for restructuring and revitalizing Israelis, as long as they embrace a new paradigm.

So this week, six months into the war, we ask Dr. Micah Goodman, what matters now?

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Philosopher and public intellectual Dr. Micah Goodman. (Yonit Schiller)

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

On October 7, Hamas led a cross-border attack killing 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducting 253 people to Gaza. Israel responded with a military campaign to topple the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip, destroy the terror group, and free the hostages.

The day after the Hamas assault, Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah began attacks along Israel’s northern border, saying it was acting in support of Gaza. Quickly, other fronts became active, including Houthi strikes on shipping routes in the Red Sea. And the shadowy long arm of Iran colors all.

Today on The Daily Briefing, we tour each of Israel's active fronts and look back over the past six months. We hear about successes, lessons learned, and where we may be heading.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 7, 2024

Four soldiers killed fighting in southern Gaza as war on Hamas hits six-month mark

Two hurt, one seriously, in West Bank highway terror shooting

IDF hits Hezbollah air defenses in northeast Lebanon after terror group downs drone

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: An Israeli army vehicle moves along the Gaza border, March 19, 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.

Today is day 183 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

United States President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel was heeding his demand to let aid into Gaza, a day after he warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a sharp shift in policy. What steps has Israel taken so far that we’ve seen on the ground?

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew pushed back against the idea that relations between the White House and Israel were fraying and dismissed accusations that US President Joe Biden was trying to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth published Friday. What else did he say?

Hamas refuses to “back down” from its demands for a full ceasefire but agrees to send a delegation for renewed talks in Cairo over the weekend. At the same time, a senior Israeli official told Magid yesterday that the mediators of hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas are failing to exert any pressure on the terror group. Magid gives insight.

Magid learned this week that Qatar passed on to Mossad chief David Barnea in a recent meeting that Doha was not inclined help out in the reconstruction of Gaza, given Jerusalem’s treatment of Qatar throughout the war. What's happening here?

The Palestinian Authority wants the United Nations Security Council to vote this month to make it a full member of the world body, a move that would be a de facto declaration of statehood. What is the expected outcome of this vote?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 5, 2024

After tense phone call with Netanyahu, Biden says Israel is doing what he asked for

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

US envoy: Idea Biden trying to topple Netanyahu a ‘misconception’

Israeli official: Mediators putting ‘no pressure’ on Hamas, Sinwar doesn’t want deal

Qatar not inclined to assist in post-war Gaza reconstruction due to Israeli treatment

Palestinian Authority to push for vote this month on full United Nations membership

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 woman washes pots outside a tent pitched by a destroyed building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 5, 2024. (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.

Today is day 182 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Schneider first looks at the late Thursday night cabinet decision to open a port and some border crossings in order to get aid into Gaza following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tense conversation with US President Joe Biden.

She also discusses the tension felt in Israel Thursday over a potential Iranian response to Israel’s alleged assassination of Iran’s top commander in Syria, as GPS was turned off in the country's center while the IDF told citizens to try and relax.

Pacchiani looks at 12 nights of protests in Jordan, concentrated in Amman, some of it spontaneous but talks about strong possibility of persuasive incitement from Hamas leaders abroad and in Jordan.

Schneider talks about Israel marking six months since October 7, and how the country has become more secluded diplomatically, because of the humanitarian aid issue and the lack of a plan for the day after the war.

Pacchiani speaks about an interview with a Palestinian activist, Ahmed Faoud Ahlkhatib, who has lived in the US for years and is furious about the narratives that Palestinian leaders have told for decades.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 5, 2024

After PM’s call with Biden, ministers okay steps to swiftly ramp up aid flow to Gaza

Amid fears of Iranian attack, IDF says no need to ‘buy generators, stock food, get cash’

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

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: Activists block the entrance to Ashdod port during a protest against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, February 1, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/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.

Today is day 181 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi issued an apology for the deadly Israeli strike on three World Central Kitchen cars in an aid convoy in Gaza, adding that it was a result of a “misidentification,” which was being investigated and learned from. Horovitz delves into some of the diplomatic and political fallout.

The IDF said yesterday that it has bolstered its air defense array and had called up reservists and today we hear that the IDF has canceled home leave for all combat troops, as the country prepares for a potential Iranian response to a strike in Syria on Monday. What are some of the assessments?

Yesterday, for the first time, coalition member and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz called for Israel to hold early elections by September. Horovitz describes the political atmosphere that may have brought Gantz to this tipping point -- and speaks about other coalition members who perhaps could follow in making this call.

The Knesset is going on recess today, but not all of its members agree there should be a vacation at this time. Horovitz weighs in.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 4, 2024

Yet another ‘How could this have happened?’ tragedy prompts deep strategic concerns

Amid retaliation threats from Iran, IDF cancels home leave for all combat troops

Israel beefs up air defenses, calls up troops as Iran payback for Syria strike looms

Gantz calls for early elections in September to ‘renew trust’ in government

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: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (3rd L) visiting the navy base of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, in a picture released on February 2, 2024. (Iranian Presidency/ 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.

Today is day 180 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Sam Sokol and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Sokol discusses the fourth day of the protests against the Knesset, and what's expected after the furor and violence of Tuesday night's demonstrations.

He also talks about the Haredi political parties and their reaction to the carrot-and-stick financial incentives being planned for drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

Surkes talks about the state comptroller's latest report on the environment and the successive governments' lack of action on necessary climate plan changes.

She also looks at a soil scientist's groundbreaking work on cocoa plants that could bring a new crop to Israeli fields.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 3, 2024

UTJ’s Roth: ‘No actual benefit’ to Haredim in toppling government over yeshiva funds

The High Court’s yeshiva funding ruling goes into effect today. What does it entail?

After surviving October 7, Israeli cocoa plants could help stave off world shortage

State comptroller chides government, PM for talk but little action on climate change

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: Protestors march to the President's Residence in Jerusalem on April 2, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/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.

Today is day 179 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and religions reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen organization were killed in a strike on their vehicles in central Gaza late Monday after they helped deliver food and other supplies to northern Gaza that had arrived hours earlier by ship, the charity said Tuesday morning. The source of fire could not be independently confirmed but the IDF, the prime suspect, has expressed "sincere sorrow" and is conducting a probe. What do we now know?

Israel is also suspected of carrying out an airstrike on Monday on a building next to Iran’s embassy in Damascus that killed seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including the top Iranian commander in Syria. Who was the commander who was killed and what was his role?

Early yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from the Gaza City complex housing the Shifa Hospital, after a two-week raid in which the military said it detained or killed hundreds of terror suspects. What is the official tally according to the IDF?

A drone, apparently launched from Iraq, struck a building in a naval base in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat early Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said. What role did Iran play?

Much of the Christian world observed Easter this past weekend. Lidor attended events in Haifa and Jerusalem and shares a snapshot of the atmospheres at both locations, as well as the state of Christian Israelis in general.

Hundreds, if not thousands of protesters, assembled Saturday night in Caesarea outside of the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lidor sets the scene.

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 2, 2024

Aid organization says 7 workers killed in Israeli strike in northern Gaza

Iran’s top commander in Syria killed in airstrike; Tehran blames Israel, vows revenge

IDF ends Shifa Hospital raid, says it killed 200 terror operatives, arrested 500 more

Eilat naval base damaged by drone apparently launched from Iraq

In a still Jerusalem Old City, Easter pilgrims pray for peace amid fears of war

Haifa Christians stage solemn Good Friday march in Hezbollah’s crosshairs

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: People gather around the shell of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen, which was allegedly hit by an Israeli strike the previous day in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, April 2, 2024. (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.

Today is day 178 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed streets outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday evening in a mass protest demanding the government resign, marking the first day in what is slated to be a four-day event. As protesters accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning hostages in Gaza and mismanaging the war against Hamas, for his part, he insisted on Sunday night at a press conference that he was doing everything in his power to bring the captives home. What else did he say?

According to multiple media reports, truce talks to release the hostages were set to resume yesterday in Cairo. Did they?

On Friday, Israel contested a recent UN-backed report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza saying that “the report contains multiple factual and methodological flaws, some of them serious.” Berman weighs in.

Yesterday, Israel lambasted an interim report that reviewed allegations by Israel against Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA of employing at least a dozen workers who took active roles during the October 7 Hamas massacre of some 1,200. We hear how independent the report really is.

Israel’s National Security Council said Thursday that Israelis should avoid traveling to Turkey, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt — including the Sinai peninsula, usually a popular holiday destination for Israelis over Passover — in updated travel warnings it issued for the coming months. What is seen as the risk in these areas and elsewhere?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 1, 2024

‘Can’t go on like this’: Tens of thousands start 4-day anti-gov’t protest outside Knesset

As protesters demand he go, Netanyahu argues election would play into Hamas’s hands

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

Indirect truce talks between Israel and Hamas to resume in Cairo

Israel says UN’s interim report on UNRWA allegations a ‘cover up’ of its terror ties

‘Multiple factual flaws’: Israel contests UN-backed report on imminent famine in Gaza

Israel warns of travel to Turkey and Arab countries; also notes Eurovision risks

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 handout picture released by the Jordanian army on March 31, 2024, shows humanitarian aid being airdropped from a military aircraft over the northern Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jordanian 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.

Today is day 177 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

An off-duty Israel Defense Forces officer was stabbed and lightly wounded in a terror attack at Beersheba’s central bus station this morning. Fabian updates.

A gunman who carried out a terror shooting attack in the West Bank near Jericho last week, wounding three Israelis, including a 13-year-old boy, turned himself in to troops, defense sources said Sunday. Fabian takes us through the attack.

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday denied carrying out a strike in southern Lebanon against a vehicle with United Nations peacekeepers, after Lebanese security officials accused it of targeting the car in a Reuters report. What makes the IDF so sure it wasn’t involved?

On Friday, the Washington Post reported that a new arms package from the US includes 1,800 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK-82 500-pound bombs, along with 25 F-35s that were initially approved as part of a larger package by Congress in 2008. What is the timing on delivery and will these bombs likely be used in Gaza, or potentially in Lebanon?

The fighting in Gaza's Shifa Hospital has been ongoing for the past two weeks. Instead of being an embarrassment for Israel that hundreds of terrorists regrouped in the semi-notorious medical center, Fabian proposes that Israel intended to lay a trap.

A historic High Court of Justice interim order Thursday evening bars the government from providing funds to ultra-Orthodox yeshivas for students eligible for IDF enlistment — as the legal framework for deferring their military service no longer exists as of today at midnight. But is the IDF even remotely ready to begin drafting tens of thousands of haredi youth?

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

Discussed articles include:

Live blog March 31, 2024

IDF officer lightly hurt in terror stabbing at Beersheba central bus station

Terrorist who fired on vehicles in West Bank last week turns self in

IDF denies Lebanese claim it struck vehicle carrying UN peacekeepers

US approves transfer of over 2,000 bombs, 25 F-35s to Israel — report

IDF, Shin Bet say several senior Hamas terrorists killed as Shifa op continues

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 Nahal Brigade's reconnaissance unit operate in the area of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, in a handout image published March 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

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