Day 504 - Where is Shiri Bibas?

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 joins host Amanda
Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing updates,
followed by the weekly Friday Focus, The Times
of Israel's newest podcast series. Each Friday, catch Berman and
Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that
spins the globe.


Slain hostages Oded Lifshitz, and brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas,
were identified after their remains were returned to Israel by
Hamas on Thursday but the military said another body sent by the
terror group was not the young boys’ mother Shiri Silberman
Bibas. We learn more about the fates of the young boys and what
have been official Israel’s reactions so far.


Three empty buses exploded in quick succession in parking lots in
the Tel Aviv suburbs of Bat Yam and Holon on Thursday night in
what police said was a suspected terror attack. There were no
injuries reported in the incidents. Police said they neutralized
two other unexploded devices on buses nearby. Berman fills us in
with what we know about who may be the perpetrators.


On the Friday Focus, ahead of the three-year
mark of the ongoing Ukraine war, Berman assesses how the
potential winding down of the conflict is stirring up all sorts
of other battles on the international stage.


We discuss the origins of the current Russo-Ukraine war and the
competing narratives surrounding it, even as Israel attempts to
trod on semi-neutral ground.


Finally, we hear how US President Donald Trump views the conflict
that is occurring far from his borders, and his country's
"obligation" to fund it.


Please see today's ongoing live blog for more
updates.


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.


For further reading:


Remains ID’d of Oded Lifshitz, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, but
other body isn’t the boys’ mom Shiri


3 buses explode in Bat Yam, Holon in suspected
strategically planned terror attack


IMAGE: This combination of pictures created on February 20, 2025
shows posters bearing the portraits of Israeli hostages Shiri
Bibas (C) and her two children Ariel (L) and Kfir (R), held in
the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, set up
on a square outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, on January 21,
2025 (AFP)


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