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The Times of Israel


Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what’s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.


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.
 
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
 
The city of Sderot has reportedly warned residents that they will likely hear loud explosions throughout the day due to military operations in nearby Gaza, according to Hebrew-language media. The city sits some seven kilometers (four miles) from the northeastern edge of Gaza City. Fabian updates us on what's happening on the ground in the Gaza Strip right now, ahead of the planned takeover of the city.
 
During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military was set to approve “the plan for the next stage of the war” later in the day. The plan was approved and Fabian delves into some of the preparation needed before the operation rolls out.
 
As part of the upcoming Gaza City operation, about a million residents will need to relocate. Israel announced that it will renew the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza beginning on Sunday. We discuss the relocation efforts and get an update on how much humanitarian aid is currently being let into the Strip.
 
The Israeli Navy launched strikes against a power plant south of Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, on Sunday morning. We hear what came next and why the military continues to strike Yemen.
 
The IDF announced Sunday it would be giving draft dodgers — many of whom are members of the ultra-Orthodox community — a one-time week-long opportunity to enlist in the military without facing punishment for desertion. How many Israelis are eligible for this "get-out-of-jail-free card," and what is part of this package deal?
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv at end of nationwide day of hostage protests
 
Zamir says IDF approving plans for war’s next stage ahead of Gaza City offensive
 
Israel to resume supply of tents, shelter gear as it readies to move Gaza City residents
 
IDF intercepts missile from Yemen, hours after Israeli Navy hit Houthi power plant
 
IDF offers one-time amnesty to thousands of draft dodgers, citing manpower shortage
 
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj.
 
IMAGE: IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) and Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor are seen in the Gaza Strip, August 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

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Day 682 - IDF approves plan to take over Gaza City

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.
 
Political reporter Tal Schneider joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
 
A nationwide call for a general strike got underway on Sunday morning, as families of the hostages protested the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza with a campaign to conquer Gaza City. The strike was organized by the October Council, which represents some of the family members of the hostages or bereaved relatives of those killed in the fighting that erupted with the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Schneider describes why many Israelis feel the need for a day of large public actions against the war, and we hear from reporter Ariela Karmel, who is in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square.
 
The Times of Israel’s US bureau chief Jacob Magid learned on Friday that Hamas negotiators in Cairo this week signaled a willingness to come down from the demands they made last month that led to the collapse of hostage talks in Doha. Jerusalem responded that it is not interested in another partial ceasefire and is only willing to forgo plans to take over Gaza City if Hamas agrees to all of its demands for ending the war, the Israeli official said. Schneider fills us in on the current status of talks.
 
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem,” adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the European Union presidency. The Israeli government is going “too far,” she added, also condemning the new settlement plan to build over 3,000 housing units in the E1 area of the West Bank, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Wednesday. We discuss the E1 plan and the efficacy of sanctions on Netanyahu.
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
Israeli Navy missile boats strike Houthi power plant near Yemen capital
 
Large protests held across Israel as national strike for hostages gets underway
 
‘Strengthening Hamas’: Coalition lawmakers slam protesters taking part in strike for hostages
 
Hamas negotiators signal willingness to ease demands that collapsed talks — officials
 
Netanyahu has become a ‘problem,’ says Danish PM, wants EU to weigh sanctions
 
World largely decries new settlement plan, warns it will scuttle 2-state solution
 
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj.
 
IMAGE: Demonstrators block a road during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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Day 681 - Can mass strike for hostages restart release talks?

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Prof. Dan Turner, the head of a pediatric gastroenterology unit at one of Israel’s most respected hospitals located in Jerusalem and Deputy Dean of the School of Medicine at the Hebrew University.
 
Turner, alongside his work as a physician, educator and researcher, is also an ardent activist in a variety of fields concerning human rights and dignity, inside and outside of medicine.
 
Our podcast conversation was spurred by his response to images of Muhammad al-Mutawaq, a severely emaciated 18-month-old living in Gaza, which were published on the front pages of newspapers around the world, prompting a global outcry about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Following an independent journalist's investigation, it was revealed that al-Mutawaq suffered from severe illnesses, including neurological and muscle disorders.
 
For Turner, al-Mutawaq's underlying medical conditions don't excuse his appearance -- quite the contrary. The malnourished child is emblematic of Israel's inhumane treatment of all Palestinians, from security prisoners handcuffed in hospital beds to babies who require special medical care in Gazan tent cities, he says.
 
In a wide-ranging interview, Turner explains how he was "awoken" to his duty to advocate for Palestinians' basic medical care and treatment with dignity.
 
He shares the blowback he has received -- and why he now sparks conversations about the ongoing war in Gaza by "looking like a caveman."
 
And so this week, we ask Prof. Dan Turner, 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: The transfer of Palestinian men arrested during a military raid on Jenin, January 22, 2025. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

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Day 680 - Prof. Dan Turner: Treating our enemies humanely makes us human

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
 
This week, as Israel marks the beginning of the Disengagement from Gaza 20 years ago, we speak with former Brooklynite Anita Tucker, 79, who helped settle Nezer Hazani in 1977 and was forcibly removed from her home in 2005 alongside her husband, children and grandchildren.
 
Affectionately called "the celery lady" due to her flourishing Gush Katif farm, Tucker describes how her young children were the deciding factor for staking their tent pegs in the barren land of Nezer Hazani after she viewed them "sledding" down the dunes on garbage bags.
 
This same inert sand allowed the residents to grow their trademark, bug-free Gush Katif vegetables with the newest agricultural technology -- drip irrigation.
 
She talks about warm relationships with her Arab neighbors -- until talk of "peace" came and the empowerment of PLO leader Yasser Arafat. She describes how once Arafat established a foothold in Gaza, he hanged the leadership of Deir al-Balah, who were Tucker’s close personal friends.
 
She speaks about the terror attacks the community absorbed, but the ideological faith that their community was protecting the rest of the Land of Israel.
 
Former prime minister Ariel Sharon's announcement of a unilateral pullout from Gaza came as a betrayal and we hear how the youth protested against this move until the very end.
 
But after the pullout, the former Gush Katif residents experienced a second betrayal in that they had to fight to get compensation and rebuild their lives. Tucker and much of the original settlement refounded Nezer Hazani seven years later inside the State of Israel, but, as she says, these are their "houses," they are not their "homes."
 
Tucker speaks to the community's yearning to resettle the Gaza Strip and how concrete plans have been presented to the Israeli government during what the potential resettlers view as a window of opportunity.
 
Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
 
IMAGE: Israeli Jewish settlers celebrate the Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat, marking the new year for trees in the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the Gush Katif block of settlements in the Gaza Strip, January 25, 2005. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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Day 679 - A former Gush Katif resident yearns to go home

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
 
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
 
Hamas negotiators arrived in Egypt this week for talks aimed at getting moribund ceasefire and hostage release negotiations back on track, with Israel having reportedly sent a team to Doha. Horovitz updates us on the status of negotiations.
 
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir yesterday approved the general outline for the military’s upcoming major offensive to conquer Gaza City. This comes after a highly charged conflict with Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier this week. Horovitz takes us through this unusual public spat and what we know so far about the plan to take Gaza City.
 
Yesterday, Spain signaled support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal of an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilize Gaza -- including deploying the controversial UNRWA agency -- calling it “one of the tools” that could bring peace to the region. Horovitz briefly comments.
 
Even as much of the western world is pushing for a two-state solution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in a rare Hebrew-language interview that he felt a connection to the vision of “Greater Israel.” We learn more about the bizarre interaction during an i24 interview, which has spurred international condemnation.
 
Horovitz sat down with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee this week for an in-depth interview. Horovitz brings highlights, including Huckabee's stalwart support and the Baptist minister's impressions of how Gazans see the US and the IDF.
 
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival said overnight that he is working to get "The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," a documentary about the October 7 massacre, back on the big screen, apologizing after the movie was pulled from the festival schedule, which sparked a large outcry. Horovitz describes the surreal request by the festival's organizers to obtain permission for use of the Hamas October 7 footage.
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
IDF chief greenlights general outline of planned conquest of Gaza City
 
Israel may dispatch negotiators to Doha for talks on freeing all hostages, ending war
 
Arab nations fume after Netanyahu says he feels connection to vision of Greater Israel
 
Huckabee: With Palestine state move, UK and France have joined forces with Israel’s enemies
 
After outcry, Toronto film fest says it wants to reinstate pulled October 7 documentary
 
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: Retired Israeli general Noam Tibon in the documentary 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' (Courtesy)

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Day 678 - Surrealism -- or censorship -- at Toronto film fest?

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.
 
New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
 
Tress discusses the recent decrease in antisemitic hate crimes in New York, although Jews are still the most targeted group.
 
He also talks about several small, new Jewish organizations advocating for change in the way the Jewish community approaches growing antisemitism and anti-Zionism, as well as their readiness to face off against legacy Jewish organizations.
 
Tress touches on the legal implications of antisemitic crimes, particularly in light of the recent case involving the alleged killer of two Israeli embassy staffers. 
 
He also discusses how the Washington District Attorney is examining the possibility of a death penalty sentence for Elias Rodriguez, who allegedly killed two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in May outside a DC museum.
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
Antisemitic hate crimes in New York decrease in recent months — NYPD
 
Amid record antisemitism, US Jewish activists call on leaders to vacate their echo chamber
 
US prosecutors consider death penalty for alleged killer of Israeli embassy staffers
 
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: Police arrest a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protester near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala takes place, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

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Day 677 - Antisemitic crime down in NY, but Jews most targeted group

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
 
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
 
The IDF may take at least another week to gauge how many troops it will need for the government-ordered renewed offensive in Gaza City, military officials said Sunday. This comes as relations between the IDF and the political echelon seem more strained than we’ve previously seen. Fabian weighs in.
 
This morning, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) asserted that Hamas has been inflating the toll of Palestinians it says have died of malnutrition, and most of those verified to have died had preexisting medical conditions. Fabian describes how Hamas's own death figures have allowed COGAT to draw its conclusions.
 
An Israeli strike in Gaza City Sunday night killed a prominent Palestinian journalist for Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, Anas al-Sharif, whom the Israel Defense Forces has long argued was a Hamas terrorist in charge of rocket launching. Fabian lays out the IDF's case against al-Sharif and discusses his targeting in the context of the larger stated military goal of picking off every asset of the terror group.
 
On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that IDF troops will remain deployed to northern West Bank refugee camps at least until the end of the year, as part of the “Operation Iron Wall” defensive. The operation began in January in the Jenin refugee camp, adjacent to the city of Jenin, and later expanded to include refugee camps near the city of Tulkarem in the western West Bank — the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps. We learn what's going on there now and what the forecast is.
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
IDF assessing how many troops needed for new Gaza offensive as Security Council convenes
 
Israel says review shows Hamas inflating Gaza hunger data in ‘orchestrated campaign’
 
Amid global outcry, IDF says Al Jazeera reporter it killed was receiving Hamas salary
 
IDF strike on Gaza City kills Al Jazeera reporter accused of being a Hamas cell leader
 
Katz: IDF to remain in north West Bank refugee camps until year’s end at least
 
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
 
IMAGE: IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in an image released by the military on August 11, 2025. (IDF)

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Day 676 - IDF lays out projected timeline for capture of Gaza City

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
 
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
 
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's back-to-back press conferences on Sunday night in English and then Hebrew, Magid compares his focus on the premier's messaging. During the press conference for the English language press, Netanyahu focuses on what he calls the "lies" in the international press and emphasizes that Israel is not seeking to occupy Gaza, but to take over only Gaza City. 
 
Magid discusses Netanyahu's five conditions for ending the war, and moving away from a strategy of partial hostage deals to military pressure. Magid also says Netanyahu is working to dispel the notion that Israel is trying to starve the Gazans, and scolds the press for accepting Hamas claims to the contrary. He talks about Netanyahu's comments about flooding the zone with aid.
 
In Hebrew, the prime minister reviewed Israel's victories in Gaza to give legitimacy to continue fighting. He also talks about the issue of reservists, says Magid, acknowledging the strain on reserve forces. 
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
Netanyahu says Israel not looking to occupy Gaza but to ‘free it from Hamas’
 
World condemnations mount over Israeli plans to take Gaza City; UN Security Council to meet
 
Bucking IDF warnings, security cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to conquer Gaza City
 
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves.
 
PM Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the PM's office in Jerursalem, August 10, 2025. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

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Day 675 -- PM spells out Gaza plan in English, Hebrew pressers

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.
 
Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
 
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday vowed to carry out “in the best possible way” Israel’s decision to conquer Gaza City and at the same time, Arab mediators were said to be working on a deal to release all 50 remaining hostages from Gaza in one fell swoop in exchange for an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. In the lead-up to the security cabinet decision, there was a lot of talk about conquering and occupying the entire Strip. Sharon looked into the legalities of such a move and shares what he found.
 
Hundreds of ultranationalist activists hoping to establish new Israeli settlements in Gaza set out Wednesday evening from a spot close to the Gaza border city of Sderot and began walking westward toward a lookout point less than a kilometer away from the Strip, with loudspeakers blaring: “The way to defeat Hamas is to take back our land.” Sharon gives us background on the impetus for the movement and, with increased political backing, the window of opportunity it now sees.
 
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
 
For further reading:
 
IDF chief: Army will carry out Gaza City occupation plan in ‘best possible way’
 
‘Ours forever’: Hundreds march from Sderot to Gaza border to demand resettlement
 
Smotrich says he’s ‘lost faith’ in PM’s desire to win war, demands change to Gaza plans
 
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 rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, August 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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Day 674 - What would Israel's legal duties be in a Gaza City takeover?

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with ToI's senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.
 
During the Tisha B'Av fast on Sunday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir again made headlines for going up to the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. There were two big differences this time: One, he led a prayer service out loud, and two, he called for the Jewish resettlement of the Gaza Strip.
 
Both aspects of Ben Gvir's trip were highly documented, including his statement on the ongoing war in Gaza.
 
Ben Gvir said, “I am saying, davka [intentionally] from here, from the Temple Mount — the place from which it was proven that it is possible to have sovereign rule — davka from here, we are relaying a message that from today on, we are conquering the entire Gaza Strip, announcing our sovereignty on the entire Gaza Strip, and taking down every Hamas member and encouraging voluntary emigration. Only in this way will we return the hostages and win the war.”
 
Ben Gvir's semi-messianic vision may come partially true as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to announce an IDF operation aimed at conquering the entire Gaza Strip. 
 
Resettlement of the Palestinian enclave, says Rettig Gur, is a completely different matter.
 
We hear how this latest publicity stunt is a disservice to the Temple Mount movement, which stresses that Jews may have freedom of worship at Judaism's most holy site.
 
And so this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur, 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: Haviv Rettig Gur (courtesy) / Illustrative: Jews visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, on Jerusalem Day, May 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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Day 673 - Haviv Rettig Gur: When Temple Mount prayer is a call to settle Gaza

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus.
 
This Friday, join former hostage Keith Siegel and host Jessica Steinberg for a deep dive into what life is like for Siegel, five months after his release home from captivity in Gaza.
 
Siegel discusses his need to do everything he can for the remaining hostages, including those with whom he was held hostage during periods of his 484 days of captivity, and who are still held captive.
 
He speaks about the depraved terror he experienced and witnessed in captivity, the moments of grace, and his hope and optimism that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House will possibly bring the war to an end.
 
Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
 
IMAGE: Aviva and Keith Siegel, after Keith's release home from Hamas captivity on February 1, 2025 (Courtesy)

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Day 644 - Former hostage Keith Siegel on wanting to be hopeful

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