Day 502 - Hamas fights for survival with 'grand gestures'

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.


In a surprise move, six living hostages will be released on
Saturday, including Israelis Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed,
who have been held by Hamas since entering the Strip on their own
in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The other four — Tal Shoham, Omer
Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Eliya Cohen — were kidnapped during
the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel. Why are six
being released versus the agreed-upon three, and why is Hamas
offering a much more generous phase 2 deal?


Former White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk last week penned his
first op-ed since leaving government, taking the opportunity to
defend the Biden administration’s handling of the hostage
negotiations and insisting that Hamas was consistently the
obstacle to an agreement. We hear Magid's thoughts on McGurk's
statements, as well as the timing of them.


Israel’s envoy to the United States has accused Egypt’s President
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of violating the US-brokered peace deal
between Jerusalem and Cairo, profiting from the desperation of
Palestinians seeking to flee the Gaza Strip and duplicitously
operating to benefit Hamas. This comes as Egypt is working with
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to
formulate a day-after plan for Gaza. Magid weighs in. 


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


Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple
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podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.


For further reading:


These are the six living hostages set to be released
Saturday


6 hostages to be freed Sat.; Hamas says bodies of Bibas
mom, kids set for Thurs. return


News of Bibas family’s tragic fate met with confusion,
mourning and rage


Biden’s Mideast czar says Trump ‘right to stand firmly by
Israel’ on hostage deal


Arab plan for Gaza could involve up to $20 billion
regional contribution


Israel’s US envoy: Egypt’s Sissi is breaking peace deal,
‘playing both sides’ with Hamas


IMAGE: Palestinian Hamas terrorist fighters in Khan Yunis in the
southern Gaza Strip on February 15, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)


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