The Times of Israel
Day 591 - PM orders immediate Gaza aid as talks falter
- Title
- Day 591 - PM orders immediate Gaza aid as talks falter
- Date posted
- 10 hours ago
- Description
- 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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Dozens of airstrikes were reported overnight and IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, in a press statement from the Gaza border, says five divisions are now operating inside the Strip in the new offensive aimed at defeating Hamas. The ramped-up operation and Israel’s apparent determination have caused renewed determination to strike a deal. But the real question is which deal and whether the sides will bend at all. Magid fills us in.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate resumption of “basic” humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening. Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March to try to pressure Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages....
- Title
- Day 590 - New day rises? IDF launches massive Gaza op
- Date posted
- 1 day ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A new round of negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel began in Qatar on Saturday after the Israeli military launched its new expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” that will seek to “seize strategic areas” of the Hamas-run Strip. Fabian describes the slow rollout of the operation so far and how many more troops have entered Gaza as of Sunday morning.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis say they fired two ballistic missiles at Israel early Sunday morning. This comes after Israeli fighter jets carried out a wave of airstrikes in Yemen on Friday afternoon, targeting two Houthi-controlled ports in the west of the country, and threatened to kill the terror ...
- Title
- Huge surge in women warriors in the IDF
- Date posted
- 3 days ago
- Description
- Title
- Those We Have Lost
- Date posted
- 3 days ago
- Description
- Please check out The Times of Israel's website for the Those We Have Lost memorial project.
- Title
- Tal Schneider on the IDF's women warriors
- Date posted
- 4 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, political correspondent Tal Schneider steps in for Berman.
Unforgettable images of the Caracal's female tank unit crushing Hamas terrorists infiltrating southern Israel on October 7, 2023, brought home the realization that not only are women serving in the IDF, they're as eager -- and able -- to fight as their brothers in arms.
Schneider describes a recent Knesset committee that discussed the phenomenon of the IDF's growing number of women warriors, which now make up almost 21 percent of all fighting forces.
We review the history of battles to have female fighters in the IDF -- including several benchmark Supreme Court cases which paved the way for the next generation.
Schneider, who has spent the ...
- Title
- Day 587 - Trump embraces his 'strongest' Mideast partner. It's not Israel
- Date posted
- 4 days ago
- Description
- 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.
US President Donald Trump is still in the region and is visiting the United Arab Emirates today. After landmark deals in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, we discuss what may come out of the UAE trip — and the entire trip’s resonance for Israel, including Trump’s new relationship with Syria.
We begin by discussing a half-hour meetup in Riyadh with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump announced the US was lifting sanctions on the country the previous day and urged Syria to join the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel. It was the first encounter between leaders of the countries in 25 years. We hear how Israel views this budding relationship.
In Qatar, Trump signed an agreement with Emir Sheikh Ta...
- Title
- Eurovision mega-fan Tal Dahan: Politics, protests and camp in Basel
- Date posted
- 5 days ago
- Description
- 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 Eurovision mega-fan Tal Dahan, straight from Basel.
Dahan is a volunteer reporter with the Hebrew-language EuroMix website, which has been the number one source for Israelis about the Eurovision for decades.
This year marks Israel's 47th time participating in the Eurovision, a song contest that was established 69 years ago to unite Europe through music.
We are recording just after the first semi-final and ahead of Israel's participation in the second semi-final on Thursday night. It is expected that Israel's candidate, Yuval Raphael, will make it to the finals on Saturday night with her song, "New Day Will Rise."
Dahan talks about the betting favorites going into Saturday's final and also discusses the politics of the competition.
And so this week, we ask Tal Dahan, ...
- Title
- Day 586 - Famine in Gaza? UN-linked group admits data not strong
- Date posted
- 5 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Jeremy Sharon and news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, the United Nations-linked Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) organization said in a “Special Snapshot” briefing that “the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of famine,” and that “the entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people [one in five] facing starvation.” Israel has accused IPC of a “lack of transparency” with regards to the source of its data, and it said the IPC’s Special Snapshot failed to take into account “the massive volume of aid, especially food, that entered Gaza during the ceasefire.” Sharon weighs in.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Tuesday ordered the military ...
- Title
- New Day Will Rise
- Date posted
- 6 days ago
- Description
- Israel's 2025 Eurovision candidate Yuval Raphael is already facing physical threats before she takes the stage on Thursday. See why she hopes her song 'New Day Will Rise' will send a message of healing and solidarity
- Title
- Day 585 - Caged and tortured in Gaza, Edan Alexander returns home
- Date posted
- 6 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Released hostage Edan Alexander is back in his family's embrace in Israel and is recovering from his 584 days in Hamas captivity. We hear what we know so far about Alexander's health and the conditions in which he was kept.
A few hours after the final living US-Israeli hostage was released by his Hamas captors, the IDF says that its forces carried out a “targeted attack” on “key” Hamas fighters who were operating a command center in the Nasser Hospital compound in Khan Younis. Among those reported killed is Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslaiah, who on October 7 was freelancing for the Associated Press and invaded Israel with the terrorists and photographed them entering Kibbutz Nir Oz, where dozens of civilia...
- Title
- Day 584 - Backstory behind US hostage Edan Alexander's release
- Date posted
- 7 days ago
- Description
- 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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Hamas has stated that in an “act of good faith,” it will release the final living US-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, today as US President Donald Trump begins to make his way to his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Magid talks about his exclusive look into how the negotiations were carried out.
US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff reportedly said during conversations with hostages' families that “Israel is prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made.” This harsh statement came as the US made a separate peace agreement with the Iran-backed Houthis and is directly negotiating with Iran for a nuclear deal Israel is not supporting. Is Israel losing the back...
- Title
- Day 583 - Is coalition really in danger over Haredi draft bill?
- Date posted
- 8 days ago
- Description
- 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 Sam Sokol and reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Knesset came back from spring break last week and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners have been pushing for the passage of legislation enshrining military exemptions for their community, after the High Court ruled in June last year that the dispensations, in place for decades, were illegal since they were not based in law. The legislation has long been held up in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, whose chairman, Yuli Edelstein (Likud), has pledged that he will “only produce a real conscription law that will significantly increase the IDF’s conscription base.” Sokol unpacks this complicated situation.
Surkes reports on Magen 48, an initiati...
- Title
- Lazar Berman on the 'forever' Gaza War: Past, present & potential future
- Date posted
- 11 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Tens of thousands of IDF reservists are again being called up — Berman among them — and Israel appears to be standing at a crossroads in the Gaza War.
In the first half of our program, we discuss Israel's strategy of conducting conflicts through a fighting force that is largely made up of reserve forces. Berman charts earlier wars and discusses the major takeaways from them.
We then turn to the present war and discuss its rollout, pauses, surprises (beepers, anyone?) and successes.
Berman discusses why it is imperative to end this war quickly -- for both Israelis and Palestinians.
At this liminal moment, we take a look at the past, present and future of the operations in the Gaza Strip.
...
- Title
- Day 580 - IDF poised to begin phase two of its plan to defeat Hamas
- Date posted
- 11 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
According to the Hamas health ministry, two IDF airstrikes early Wednesday hit the Karama School in Tuffah, a suburb of Gaza City, killing 15. Later in the day, an Israeli strike near a restaurant and market in the city killed at least 33 people, including women and children. Fabian reports on these two incidents and assesses where the IDF is currently heading in Gaza based on statements from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir yesterday.
A Hamas commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern coastal Lebanese city of Sidon early Wednesday morning. What was Khaled Ahmad al-Ahmad responsible for?
Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in two attacks carried out by Palestinians in the northern an...
- Title
- Bereaved mother Elana Kaminka: End the Gaza 'forever war'
- Date posted
- 12 days ago
- Description
- 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 Elana Kaminka, peace activist and bereaved mother.
On October 7, 2023, Elana's firstborn son, Lt. Yannai Kaminka, 20, a commander in the Home Front Command, was killed battling against Hamas at the Zikim IDF training base. His efforts and those of his fellow officers there saved the lives of almost 100 recruits, as charted in a recently released IDF probe into the failures on and leading up to October 7.
In a frank and open discussion about what it means to choose a path of peace after losing her first child to terrorists bent on destroying her nation, Kaminka speaks with The Times of Israel just after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down in refusing to hold a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 disasters.
Kaminka made aliya from California as a lone soldier at age 18 a...
- Title
- Day 579 – Trump cuts deal with Houthis, leaving Israel out in cold
- Date posted
- 12 days ago
- Description
- 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 US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a truce with the Houthis, Magid discusses Jerusalem’s surprise in light of the ongoing Houthi missile attacks on Israel, including one Sunday morning that hit inside the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport.
Magid explores Israel’s new proposal for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza to prevent Hamas from diverting resources and getting the food into Gazans’ hands. The plan includes working with humanitarian organizations and private US contractors and will allow some 60 trucks into Gaza daily through one border crossing. Food packages will be given directly to approved representatives of Palestinian families.
Trump is expected in the Midd...
- Title
- Day 578 – Israel strikes Yemen port in effort to stop Houthis
- Date posted
- 13 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.
Horovitz discusses the Israeli Air Force missile attack on the Yemen port, in response to the Houthi missile that hit Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning, and the ongoing bafflement about how to handle the challenge presented by the Iran-backed Houthis, and one that isn’t going to fade.
He discusses the mood in the country as thousands of reservists are called up again to fight in Gaza, as polls show that two-thirds of Israelis would be prepared to stop fighting to bring the remaining hostages home. Horovitz notes that the language used by the government and army is subtle, with an unclear plan in Gaza and an unpredictable US administration.
Horovitz also offers a brief look a...
- Title
- Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: Genesis of Israel's hostage policy
- Date posted
- 14 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus (https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/) . Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/) and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we look at Israel's long history of hostage release negotiations and how the price per captive has become increasingly inflated over the decades.
To begin our discussion, Berman gives a brief survey of some traditional Jewish sources dealing with the subject, including the Bible, Mishna and the Rambam's writings.
We then turn to 1950s Israel and hear a survey of hostage and POW situations -- and how many prisoners Israel released to free its citizens.
Finally, we discuss the deal which released Gilad...
- Title
- Day 577 - IDF prepares to conquer and occupy Gaza
- Date posted
- 14 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Late last night, Israel approved a plan to significantly broaden the military offensive against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory. One voice was heard above all in warning, that of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned ministers that this could endanger the hostages held there. Fabian debriefs us on what he knows about this plan and what else is happening on the ground in Gaza.
Yesterday morning, a Houthi ballistic missile struck the Ben Gurion Airport compound. Fabian explains the initial conclusions about the failure and discusses Israel's anti-missile array, including a Patriot air-defense system that will be refurbished...
- Title
- Day 576 - Houthi missile hits Ben Gurion Airport
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Earlier this morning, a Houthi ballistic missile struck inside the area of Ben Gurion Airport after the Israel Defense Forces failed to intercept it. Landings and takeoffs were halted before the projectile struck. Magen David Adom says six people were physically hurt in the Houthi missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport. Berman explains how the biggest blow may have been to Israel's reputation.
Two IDF soldiers -- Cpt. Noam Ravid, 23 from Sha’arei Tikva and Staff Sgt. Yaly Seror, 20, from Omer -- were killed and two were wounded in an explosion in a booby-trapped tunnel shaft in southern Gaza’s Rafah Saturday, the military announced. This terrible announcement comes after we heard last...
- Title
- Day 575 - Behind the scenes at ToI's Those We Have Lost project
- Date posted
- 16 days ago
- Description
- 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 the coordinator of The Times of Israel's Those We Have Lost project, Amy Spiro, for this special episode in honor of Israel's Memorial Day to Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror.
We explain about the genesis of our Those We Have Lost project, and how we aim to tell the stories of individuals slain in Hamas's brutal attack on October 7, 2023. The first entry was written on October 11, 2023, when the number of the murdered was still unclear and funerals were held around the clock.
Today, with 1,100 individual entries covering almost every single person killed by Hamas, our Those We Have Lost project paints a picture of each of their lives and the ongoing ripple effects of their deaths.
Spiro speaks to the challenges she's faced -- including the mundane issue of how to ...
- Title
- Day 574 - Genesis of Israel's hostage policy
- Date posted
- 18 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus (https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/) . Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/) and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we look at Israel's long history of hostage release negotiations and how the price per captive has become increasingly inflated over the decades.
To begin our discussion, Berman gives a brief survey of some traditional Jewish sources dealing with the subject, including the Bible, Mishna and the Rambam's writings.
We then turn to 1950s Israel and hear a survey of hostage and POW situations -- and how many prisoners Israel released to free its citizens.
Finally, we discuss the deal which released Gilad...
- Title
- Day 573 - Ben-Gurion's anguish upon the founding of Israel
- Date posted
- 19 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode on Israel's Independence Day.
Today, we will step back in time and attempt to get into prime minister David Ben-Gurion’s state of mind as the Jewish state is declared in 1948. We speak about the divided nation -- even as it was fighting for its mere survival against enemies on all fronts.
To understand how Ben-Gurion was thinking on that fateful May 14, 1948, we turn to two newly released images of his handwritten diary, which reveal the first prime minister’s anxieties as the newly born country headed to war against invading Arab neighbors.
We then discuss how a mere few weeks after the Declaration of Independence, one of the most painful episodes in Israeli history occurred -- the Altalena Affair. Rett...
- Title
- Day 572 - IDF commanders who sacrificed themselves to save recruits
- Date posted
- 19 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror.
Since February, the IDF has begun releasing a series of probes into the disasters on and leading up to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 and 250 hostages taken to Gaza.
Today, we look at the recent reports on the battles at the Zikim IDF base -- notable for the bravery of its commanders in saving their recruits -- and two smaller communities, Nir Yitzhak and Ein Hashlosha.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s well-armed civil defense squad fought off dozens of Hamas-led terrorists, largely preventing them from rampaging through the community on October 7.
This is in stark opposit...
- Title
- Day 572 - IDF commanders who sacrificed themselves to save recruits
- Date posted
- 19 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/emanuel-fabian/) joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for today's episode on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror.
Since February, the IDF has begun releasing a series of probes into the disasters on and leading up to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 and 250 hostages taken to Gaza.
Today, we look at the recent reports on the battles at the Zikim IDF base -- notable for the bravery of its commanders in saving their recruits -- and two smaller communities, Nir Yitzhak and Ein Hashlosha.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s well-armed civil defense squ...
- Title
- What Matters Now to The Times of Israel: That all Oct. 7 fallen are remembered
- Date posted
- 20 days ago
- Description
- 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 the coordinator of The Times of Israel's Those We Have Lost project, Amy Spiro, for this special episode in honor of Israel's Memorial Day to Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror.
We explain about the genesis of our Those We Have Lost project, and how we aim to tell the stories of individuals slain in Hamas's brutal attack on October 7, 2023. The first entry was written on October 11, 2023, when the number of the murdered was still unclear and funerals were held around the clock.
Today, with 1,100 individual entries covering almost every single person killed by Hamas, our Those We Have Lost project paints a picture of each of their lives and the ongoing ripple effects of their deaths.
Spiro speaks to the challenges she's faced -- including the mundane issue of how to write names in Latin let...
- Title
- Day 571 - Fake news may be muddying hostage talks
- Date posted
- 20 days ago
- Description
- 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 and political correspondent Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As an Israeli official states that Qatar isn't being helpful in the hostage talks and an Arab official tells The Times of Israel that reports are being manufactured by Israeli officials looking to harm the negotiations, Magid offers a deeper look. We hear about the last few days of the talks and the government's desire for victory in Gaza, which could lead Israel into a deeper, more extensive battle against Hamas.
Magid reports on a conversation he had with Republican lawmaker Rep. Marlin Stutzman, one of the first US lawmakers to meet Syria's new Islamist leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Stutzman cautions against Israel's interest in dividing the fledgling government into several autonom...
- Title
- Day 571 - Fake news may be muddying hostage talks
- Date posted
- 20 days ago
- Description
- 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 (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jacob-magid/) and political correspondent Sam Sokol (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/sam-sokol/) join host Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) for today's episode.
As an Israeli official states that Qatar isn't being helpful in the hostage talks and an Arab official tells The Times of Israel that reports are being manufactured by Israeli officials looking to harm the negotiations, Magid offers a deeper look. We hear about the last few days of the talks and the government's desire for victory in Gaza, which could lead Israel into a deeper, more extensive battle against Hamas.
Magid reports on a conversation he had with Republican lawmaker Rep. Marlin Stutzman, one o...
- Title
- Day 570 - IDF reservist killed in Gaza as family marched at Auschwitz
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/emanuel-fabian/) and culture editor Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) join host Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for today's episode.
Fabian was in the Gaza Strip last week at the Morag Corridor. He compares this trip to previous IDF embeds and describes what he saw. We learn about the very intense fighting in the Strip and hear about the incidents in which three servicemen recently lost their lives: Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri, Cpt. Ido Voloch and Sgt. Neta Yitzhak Kahane, of the Border Police’s Yamas covert unit.
For only the third time since a ceasefire in Lebanon went into effect in November 2024, the IDF car...
- Title
- Day 570 - IDF reservist killed in Gaza as family marched at Auschwitz
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian and culture editor Jessica Steinberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Fabian was in the Gaza Strip last week at the Morag Corridor. He compares this trip to previous IDF embeds and describes what he saw. We learn about the very intense fighting in the Strip and hear about the incidents in which three servicemen recently lost their lives: Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri, Cpt. Ido Voloch and Sgt. Neta Yitzhak Kahane, of the Border Police’s Yamas covert unit.
For only the third time since a ceasefire in Lebanon went into effect in November 2024, the IDF carried out an attack in the Beirut area. We learn what the IDF was targeting and what this means for the ceasefire.
Some 12,000 people led by Holocaust survivors and an Israeli delegation of r...
- Title
- Day 569 - Legal wrangles at ICC, shark attack in Hadera
- Date posted
- 22 days ago
- Description
- 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 correspondent Jeremy Sharon and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following Israel's procedural victory at the International Criminal Court, in which the Jewish state argued it could challenge the court's jurisdiction to try Israeli citizens for war crimes, Sharon examines the basis for the reasoning and what it could mean going forward regarding the arrest warrants issued last year for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Sharon also discusses the potential for a constitutional crisis following the allegations against Netanyahu made by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in an affidavit to the High Court. With Bar having backed up his claims with documentation and evidence, Sharon says it will be far harder for the court...
- Title
- Day 569 - Legal wrangles at ICC, shark attack in Hadera
- Date posted
- 22 days ago
- Description
- 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 correspondent Jeremy Sharon (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jeremy-sharon/) and environmental reporter Sue Surkes (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/sue-surkes/) join host Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) for today's episode.
Following Israel's procedural victory at the International Criminal Court, in which the Jewish state argued it could challenge the court's jurisdiction to try Israeli citizens for war crimes, Sharon examines the basis for the jurisdiction reasoning and what it could mean going forward regarding the arrest warrants issued last year for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Sharon also discusses the potential for a constitutional crisis following the allegatio...
- Title
- Day 568: Prof. Manuela Consonni on how women resisted the Nazis
- Date posted
- 23 days ago
- Description
- 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. Manuela Consonni, director of Hebrew University's Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism.
Consonni, a leading scholar of Holocaust memory, gender, and post-war European culture, decided to mark Yom Hashoah, Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, with an exhibition at the Mount Scopus campus called, "Faces of Women's Resistance."
The exhibition looks at how women -- Jewish and non-Jewish -- resisted the Nazi regime. Like men, many were fighters, partisans and rescuers, but also the sheer survival of their family was put on the shoulders of many mothers.
We discuss definitions of resistance and what means were available to women during the Nazi regime.
And finally, we delve into the use of Holocaust language when discuss...
- Title
- Day 567: Why MKs praying on Temple Mount doesn't shift status quo
- Date posted
- 24 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus (https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/) . Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/) and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Over the Passover holiday, some 6,315 Jews visited the Temple Mount, a 37% rise over last year. Among them, Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot, where he participated in a prayer service and prostrated himself on the ground in worship — activities that are nominally prohibited for Jews at the flashpoint holy site.
Sukkot hailed the “tremendous change” since he was arrested for the same act 14 years ago.
Meanwhile, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the Israel Police, which enforces law and security...
- Title
- Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: There is no Temple Mount status quo
- Date posted
- 25 days ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Over the Passover holiday, some 6,315 Jews visited the Temple Mount, a 37% rise over last year. Among them, Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot, where he participated in a prayer service and prostrated himself on the ground in worship — activities that are nominally prohibited for Jews at the flashpoint holy site.
Sukkot hailed the “tremendous change” since he was arrested for the same act 14 years ago.
Meanwhile, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the Israel Police, which enforces law and security on the Mount, boasted that a shift in the unwritten status quo that governs the site was a result of his policies. He was up on the mount earlier in the month.
In a statement, Ben ...
- Title
- Day 566 - Calling Hamas 'sons of dogs,' Abbas steps up condemnations
- Date posted
- 25 days ago
- Description
- 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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.
To commemorate Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, October 7 survivors, released hostages and hostage family members toured Auschwitz yesterday ahead of the start of the March of the Living today. Likewise, we hear what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog said last night at the official state ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
During a speech at the opening of the PLO Central Council meeting last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas “sons of dogs” and told the terror group to release hostages it is holding in order to eliminate what he said was Israel’s pretext to continue its war in Gaza. Magid weighs in with his view on the motivations for ...
- Title
- Day 566 - Calling Hamas 'sons of dogs,' Abbas steps up condemnations
- Date posted
- 25 days ago
- Description
- 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 (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jacob-magid/) joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for today’s episode.
To commemorate Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, October 7 survivors, released hostages and hostage family members toured Auschwitz yesterday ahead of the start of the March of the Living today. Likewise, we hear what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog said last night at the official state ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
During a speech at the opening of the PLO Central Council meeting last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas “sons of dogs” and told the terror group to release hostages it is holding ...
- Title
- What Matters Now to Prof. Manuela Consonni: How women resisted the Nazis
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- 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. Manuela Consonni, director of Hebrew University's Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism.
Consonni, a leading scholar of Holocaust memory, gender, and post-war European culture, decided to mark Yom Hashoah, Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, with an exhibition at the Mount Scopus campus called, "Faces of Women's Resistance."
The exhibition looks at how women -- Jewish and non-Jewish -- resisted the Nazi regime. Like men, many were fighters, partisans and rescuers, but also the sheer survival of their family was put on the shoulders of many mothers.
We discuss definitions of resistance and what means were available to women during the Nazi regime.
And finally, we delve into the use of Holocaust language when discussing the hostages kept by Hamas i...
- Title
- Day 565 - Why pope's final Gaza statements won't heal rift with Israel
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/) joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via phone on Tuesday with US President Donald Trump. Following the conversation, the American leader said that the pair “are on the same side of every issue.” So what were the issues discussed?
Hamas is expected to soon propose a new ceasefire framework for Gaza as its representatives arrive in Cairo. Hamas is reportedly pushing for a five-year truce and accepting the previous Egyptian idea of a technocratic council to rule the Strip. What else may be involved?
Pope Francis died on Monday, a day after making a public...
- Title
- Day 564 - Politics heat up over Shin Bet chief statement
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- 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 correspondent Sam Sokol and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Sokol delves into comments made by leaders of the Knesset’s opposition parties, who accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of placing Israel in existential danger after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar alleged that the premier demanded his loyalty. Sokol notes that the opposition is exploring legal avenues against Netanyahu as political rhetoric becomes increasingly heated.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made it clear in an interview Monday morning that the hostages are not the government's top priority -- which Sokol calls a clarifying statement of the coalition -- bringing tremendous criticism from hostages' families and an ultra-Orthodox member of the coalition.
Fo...
- Title
- Day 564 - Politics heat up over Shin Bet chief statement
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- 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 correspondent Sam Sokol (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/sam-sokol/) and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/rossella-tercatin/) join host Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) for today's episode.
Sokol delves into comments made by leaders of the Knesset’s opposition parties, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of placing Israel in existential danger, after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar alleged that the premier demanded his loyalty. Sokol notes that the opposition is exploring legal avenues against Netanyahu's actions, as political rhetoric in Israel becomes increasingly heated.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made it clear in an interview Monday morning that the hostages are...
- Title
- Day 563 - IDF: Killing of 15 Gaza medics didn't breach code of ethics
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces announced the dismissal of the deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit over the March 23 incident in which 15 medics were killed after his forces opened fire on a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles in southern Gaza’s Rafah. Fabian explains the findings of a high-level IDF probe.
The Lebanese army announced Sunday that it had foiled a planned rocket attack from Lebanon at Israel for the first time since a November ceasefire cut short a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. We learn about what steps the Lebanese Armed Forces are currently taking to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire.
On Saturday, for the first time since the IDF re...
- Title
- Day 563 - IDF: Killing of 15 Gaza medics didn't breach code of ethics
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- 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 reporter Emanuel Fabian (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/emanuel-fabian/) joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for today's episode.
Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces announced the dismissal of the deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit over the March 23 incident in which 15 medics were killed after his forces opened fire on a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles in southern Gaza’s Rafah. Fabian explains the findings of a high-level IDF probe.
The Lebanese army announced Sunday that it had foiled a planned rocket attack from Lebanon at Israel for the first time since a November ceasefire cut short a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. We learn about what steps the ...
- Title
- Day 562 - Hostage families in anguish as PM says no deal
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/david-horovitz/) joins host Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) for today's episode.
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement Saturday night detailing his refusal to negotiate a deal that ends the war to free the hostages, Horovitz discusses the anguish of the hostage families and their growing concern over the government's plans. He explores the prime minister's stance on the war with Hamas as well as Netanyahu's detailed reasoning amid the growing skepticism and dismay about Netanyahu's motivations regarding the war.
As the US and Iran head into more nuclear talks on Wednesday, following another round in Italy on Saturday, Horovitz consi...
- Title
- Day 562 – Hostage families in anguish as PM says no deal
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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.
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement Saturday night detailing his refusal to negotiate a deal that ends the war to free the hostages, Horovitz discusses the anguish of the hostage families and their growing concern over the government’s plans. He explores the prime minister’s stance on the war with Hamas as well as Netanyahu’s detailed reasoning amid the growing skepticism and dismay about Netanyahu’s motivations regarding the war.
As the US and Iran head into more nuclear talks on Wednesday, following another round in Italy on Saturday, Horovitz considers the implications of the talks, and the role of special envoy Steve Witkoff in the negotiations, and the concerns about I...
- Title
- Day 561: A 1973 exodus from Egypt
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 Mitch Ginsburg, a producer at the Israel Story podcast.
Ginsburg, a former military reporter for The Times of Israel, brings us a special episode from Israel's flagship podcast series, called The Hebrew Hobbit: A Passover Special.
In it, Ginsburg charts the tale of a number of Israeli POWs who took upon themselves the unlikely task of translating JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit" while imprisoned together in an Egyptian jail.
In a vivid soundscape, Ginsburg brings a 360-degree account of life before, during and after their detention -- for the soldiers and those they left behind.
This Passover holiday, we hear the improbable story of a group of Israeli men who formed a mini-kibbutz in the heart of an enemy country's prison and what happened after their e...
- Title
- Day 560 - Israeli scientists resurrect biblical date palm
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Welcome to a bonus episode of The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus (https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/) . Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/) for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. In today's episode, environment reporter Sue Surkes (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/sue-surkes/) makes a guest appearance, stepping in for Berman.
This is a week of spring holidays, and so we are dedicating the program to some of the biblical flora of the Land of Israel.
In honor of Easter, which is celebrated by much of Christendom on Sunday, we begin with a date palm that was brought back from the dead and a plant that resurrects itself.
In 2008, Dr. Elaine Solowey germinated a 1,900-year-old date palm seed that took the name Methuselah after the long-live...
- Title
- Friday Focus with Sue Surkes: Israel's biblical flora resurrected
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. In today's episode, environment reporter Sue Surkes makes a guest appearance, stepping in for Berman.
This is a week of spring holidays, and so we are dedicating the program to some of the biblical flora of the Land of Israel.
In honor of Easter, which is celebrated by much of Christendom on Sunday, we begin with a date palm that was brought back from the dead and a plant that resurrects itself.
In 2008, Dr. Elaine Solowey germinated a 1,900-year-old date palm seed that took the name Methuselah after the long-lived biblical character. She has since gone on to revive several more ancient seeds, including females that bear fruit. Surkes tells the story of Solowey's amazing success -- and describes how the dates taste.
...
- Title
- Day 559 - Hostage talks continue, as US and Iran keep speaking
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/) joins host Jessica Steinberg (https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/) for today's episode.
Following a phone meeting of the security cabinet, Berman discusses that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was involved in the conversation that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite efforts to fire the Shin Bet chief.
Hamas officials have said they will not accept any partial deals and still demand an end to the war, with some of the terrorist group's reactions appearing to react to protests in Israeli society, says Berman. He also speaks about criticism regarding top hostage negotiator Ron Dermer, with remarks from both the Qataris and hostage families about Dermer, a close ...
- Title
- What Matters Now to Israel Story's Mitch Ginsburg: A 1973 exodus from Egypt
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 Mitch Ginsburg, a producer at the Israel Story podcast.
Ginsburg, a former military reporter for The Times of Israel, brings us a special episode from Israel's flagship podcast series, called The Hebrew Hobbit: A Passover Special.
In it, Ginsburg charts the tale of a number of Israeli POWs who took upon themselves the unlikely task of translating JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit" while imprisoned together in an Egyptian jail.
In a vivid soundscape, Ginsburg brings a 360-degree account of life before, during and after their detention -- for the soldiers and those they left behind.
This Passover holiday, we hear the improbable story of a group of Israeli men who formed a mini-kibbutz in the heart of an enemy country's prison and what happened after their e...
