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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. The provincial government in southern Syria’s Daraa says nine civilians were killed and several were injured in Israeli bombardment following an “Israeli incursion.” Soldiers operated on the ground in what is possibly the deepest into Syria that Israeli forces have advanced thus far. Fabian weighs in. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that advancing IDF forces were carving out a new security corridor across southern Gaza as Israel seeks to pile pressure on Hamas to free the hostages. Fabian explains the strategy behind the new “Morag Corridor,” named after an Israeli settlement that stood in the area before it was evacuated during Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, and compares the number of forces on the ground in the Strip with that of troops at the height of the war. On Wednesday, hundreds of Palestinians rallied in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, chanting “Hamas out” and “Enough death,” in renewed protests against the terror group. Residents were angered by new Israeli military evacuation orders, which the military said followed rocket salvos by terror groups from the area. We hear how the IDF is responding to the increase in rockets -- and who is claiming blame for them. Fifteen emergency and aid workers from the Red Crescent, the United Nations and the Hamas-linked Palestinian Civil Defense have been recovered from a grave in the sand in the south of the Gaza Strip, UN officials said on Monday. The IDF acknowledged Friday that it had fired on ambulances and fire engines, saying it had identified them as “suspicious vehicles.” Investigations are ongoing, but Fabian lays out what we currently understand from the IDF. Yesterday, Fabian toured an IDF post in Lebanon, on the edge of Markaba, which overlooks the Israeli border community of Margaliot. It is one of five strategic positions where the IDF has remained after a February deadline to withdraw from Lebanon, as part of an ongoing ceasefire that began in November. We learn what Fabian saw -- and what Defense Minister Israel Katz had to say about how long troops will be stationed there. This conversation can also be viewed here:   Please see today's ongoing liveblog 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: IDF says several gunmen ‘eliminated’ after firing on troops in southern Syria IDF strikes hit ‘remaining military capacities’ at Syrian airbases Netanyahu says IDF carving new corridor across Gaza to cut off Rafah, pressure Hamas Hamas threatens protesters, as new mass rallies against terror group held in Gaza UN says 15 Gaza medics killed by IDF found in mass grave; IDF: We targeted terrorists In Lebanon, Katz says troops to stay ‘without time limit’ to defend border communities Katz says offensive aimed at seizing ‘extensive territory,’ as IDF pounds south Gaza ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Israeli soldiers on the border between Syria and northern Israel, March 14, 2025. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Released hostage Amit Soussana is honored by the US State Department as a Woman of Courage and is the only one of eight women honored to speak at the event. Magid notes that she uses the platform to speak about the remaining hostages and the need to return to negotiations, something echoed by former hostage Yarden Bibas and his focus on US President Donald Trump in his CBS interview with "60 Minutes." Magid speaks about the freed hostages who feel comfortable making their opinions clear, and their concerns about the intensification of military pressure and the current impasse in hostage negotiations. The spontaneous, sporadic protests in Gaza against Hamas are the first in years, according to Magid, as people take a huge risk calling for an end to war in Gaza. A 22-year-old protester was tortured and killed, says Magid, who follows several Palestinian activists on social media who are planning more protests in the coming days. Magid notes that it would be best if Israel did not comment on them, leaving the movement as real, genuine protests against Hamas that could help impact the terror group as it approaches the ongoing hostage talks. This conversation can also be viewed here: Please see today's ongoing liveblog 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: Ex-hostage Amit Soussana receives US’s International Woman of Courage Award Yarden Bibas to 60 Minutes: Only Trump can convince Netanyahu, Hamas to renew ceasefire-hostage deal Gazan man murdered by Hamas after joining protests against terror group, family says Gazan clan executes alleged Hamas operative who killed one of their relatives IMAGE: Former hostage Amit Soussana, left, holds her hands over her heart while being applauded after speaking during the International Women of Courage awards ceremony, next to Henriette Da, of Burkina Faso, Georgiana Pascu, of Romania, Major Velena Iga, of Papua New Guinea, and first lady Melania Trump, at the award ceremony, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. S (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused police of holding two aides “hostage” after they were arrested over their alleged engagement in illicit ties with Qatar while working for the premier, who interrupted his ongoing corruption trial to provide testimony in the controversial Qatargate investigation. Sharon delves into the latest developments. The High Court of Justice ruled unanimously on Thursday that Israel has taken a variety of steps to provide for the humanitarian needs of Gaza’s civilian population during the current war with Hamas, and that there was no cause for the court to order the government and the army to take any additional action. We hear why this ruling is important in the context of other accusations against Israel on the international stage. The IDF issued a statement on Monday night announcing that it had disciplined several officers and troops for vandalizing Palestinian property in Jinba after an investigation it conducted into the incident. Villagers claim that troops had stood by while the settler extremists attacked residents and prevented a Red Crescent ambulance from evacuating the wounded. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir went to Jinba himself to investigate the incident on Sunday, as did Sharon. He reports back. Almost one in four US adults who were raised Jewish no longer identify as such, a new report by the prominent Pew Research Center released on Wednesday has shown. The report focuses on the phenomenon of “switching religions” around the world, and it is based on data obtained by polling almost 37,000 Americans and over 41,000 individuals in 35 other countries, including Israel. Tercatin gives highlights. For the first time, a team of Israeli archaeologists has uncovered ancient artifacts at northern Israel’s “Armageddon” site that might offer proof of an epic battle documented in the books of Kings II and Chronicles between a king of Judah and an Egyptian pharaoh. We hear how the old adage "an army marches on its stomach" may give us insight into this historical battle. Please see today's ongoing liveblog 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: Netanyahu says his two aides ‘being held hostage’ in Qatargate ‘witch hunt’ High Court says petitioners ‘not even close’ to showing Israel starving Gazan civilians ‘There’s no justice’: Palestinian villagers reel after brutal settler, IDF rampage Pew Research Center survey: A quarter of US adults raised Jewish no longer identify as Jews Archaeologists find first evidence of epic biblical battle at ‘Armageddon’ IMAGE: People protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 and reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. As the IDF warns Gazans to leave Rafah in southern Gaza, saying the military is returning to fight to eliminate terrorist capabilities as part of its military pressure to bring about a hostage deal, Horovitz reviews the situation in the Gaza Strip. He discusses the ongoing divide in Israeli society over how to bring the remaining hostages home, whether through military pressure or negotiations. Horovitz also looks at the CBS "60 Minutes" interview with released hostages, including freed captive Yarden Bibas, who pointedly called for US President Donald Trump to help bring about a return to negotiations. As Trump threatens Iran with strikes if it doesn't return to nuclear talks, Horovitz talks about the rise in rhetoric between the two nations. Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the hardest-hit collectives on October 7 is working to remember its dead and find solutions for its future, and Surkes discusses a book written by one of its residents about the challenges facing the kibbutz that had been privatized years before the Hamas terror attack. She also describes a recently installed memorial for those killed on the kibbutz on October 7. Please see today's ongoing liveblog 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: IDF tells Gazans to flee entire Rafah area in largest evacuation since fighting resumed Yarden Bibas to 60 Minutes: Only Trump can convince Netanyahu, Hamas to renew ceasefire-hostage deal Trump threatens ‘there will be bombing’ if Iran fails to make deal on nukes ‘A murder in every corner’: 60-year resident writes book on Kfar Aza challenges post-Oct. 7 Kfar Aza Oct. 7 memorial forms unforeseen stop on trail envisioned by murdered Ofir Libstein IMAGE: Palestinians attend Eid prayers in Khan Yuni in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 30, 2025. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.