The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Available Episodes

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Day 647 - IDF seizes astronomical cache of Assad-regime weapons
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. Five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continue to operate across Gaza. Dozens of airstrikes were carried out in the past days, but one in particular has captured international attention: a strike near a Gaza water distribution point that reportedly killed several children. The IDF said Sunday that it was an accident and attributed it to a “technical malfunction.” Fabian reports on the accidental strike and compares the IDF's quick accountability of it to reports of mass deaths from humanitarian aid distribution sites. A proposed plan to establish a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza’s Rafah continues to receive backlash. According to the plan, at least 600,000 Palestinians would be allowed into a newly rebuilt area of the city after being cleared that they are not Hamas. Some critics -- including former prime minister Ehud Olmert -- allege that it resembles the Nazi concentration camps built during World War II. Fabian talks about the plan, puts it in to the greater context of the entire Gideon's Chariots operation and explains the reported criticism from within the IDF itself. Israeli troops found more than three tons of weapons while raiding military facilities inside Syria, including anti-tank mines, explosive devices, and rockets. The sites had been maintained by the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime. We hear about the raid and the scale of the troops' finds. Israel’s most advanced communications satellite, dubbed Dror-1, was successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral in the United States on Sunday aboard a Falcon 9 two-stage rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Fabian was inside the Israeli control room and reports back. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: IDF admits error in deadly strike on water delivery site as truce talks stay jammed IDF said to warn against Gaza ‘humanitarian city’; ex-PM brands it ‘concentration camp’ IDF seizes 3 tons of arms from ex-Assad regime sites; violence flares in southern Syria Israel’s most advanced communications satellite successfully launched by SpaceX 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: A former Syrian regime military site found by IDF troops in southern Syria, in an IDF handout photo released on July 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 646 - With hostage talks at a standstill, who is to blame?
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. According to a Channel 12 Israeli television report, later today, Israel will present new maps for the IDF’s redeployment in the event of a ceasefire-hostage release deal along the Morag Corridor and perimeter around Gaza after Hamas rejected its previous offer. Magid updates us on the status of the Doha talks and speaks about the blame game from both sides. We hear about how the Trump administration is playing the "Witkoff card" -- or when US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff will finally join the talks and what it will signify when he does. We turn to the results of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington, DC, even as he comes home without any overt deals. What else was on the table for the trip and what was accomplished? Over the past day, security forces arrested six people in connection with an incident in the West Bank yesterday, where settlers allegedly killed two Palestinians on Friday. US citizen Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was allegedly beaten to death in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said. A second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry. Magid describes what we know about this incident and weighs in on whether any rigorous investigation will be launched. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Doha talks stuck on IDF withdrawal; Palestinian officials say discussions nearing collapse US won’t allow Israel to resume war, but rejects truce text saying so explicitly — sources Two Palestinians, including US citizen, killed by settlers in West Bank attack — PA Family of American-Palestinian man allegedly beaten to death by settlers urges US probe 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: Demonstrators in Tel Aviv protest against the Israeli government and for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, July 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 645 - Micah Goodman: Israel may soon remake the region
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 author and public intellectual Micah Goodman. Just ahead of this week's What Matters Now recording, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump sat in the White House for a celebratory meal. The table was set for a grand announcement -- a sealed hostage release-ceasefire deal -- but the guest of honor and his terrorist counterparts have yet to come to terms. Goodman looks back at the two huge "double gambles" made during these 21 months of war. The first was by former Hamas leader Yahye Sinwar, who launched the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, after viewing the intense divisiveness in Israeli society. His double-or-nothing bet was that Iran and its proxies would immediately join in the onslaught -- they didn't. Goodman compares Sinwar's double gamble to that of Netanyahu, who launched a surprise preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear program on June 13 and wagered that the United States would join. Now that Netanyahu's bet has paid off, Goodman describes how the region is ripe for a realignment -- if tough compromises can be made to end the Gaza war. And so this week, we ask Micah Goodman, 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 and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Shiite Muslim mourners hold portraits of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a religious procession held to mark Ashura, on the 10th day of the Islamic holy month of Muharram in Karachi on July 6, 2025. (Asif HASSAN / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 644 - Former hostage Keith Siegel on wanting to be hopeful
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)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 643 - IDF executes ground ops in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria
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. To begin the program we discuss the current status of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip and then turn to two deadly incidents this week. In the first discussed event, we learn that Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed during an abduction attempt by terrorists who also attempted to snatch his body in the southern Gaza Strip. On Monday night, five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded by roadside bombs in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. The slain soldiers were named as: Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa. We learn about this deadly attack and discuss the significance of both attacks -- regarding Hamas's continued battle-readiness and the IDF's vigilance. Turning to the north, on Tuesday, the IDF said it killed a “key Hamas terrorist” in a strike in Lebanon's Tripoli, naming him as Mehran Mustafa Bajur, a prominent Hamas commander. We learn about this strike, as well as ground operations inside southern Lebanon where troops raided several sites, destroying Hezbollah weapon depots and other infrastructure. Twice earlier in the week, the IDF carried out overnight raids in southern Syria, where forces captured a cell of operatives operating on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fabian weighs in on the power vacuum left in this part of Israel's border with the new Syrian regime. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Israeli soldier killed during attempted Hamas abduction in southern Gaza, IDF says 5 IDF soldiers killed, 14 injured by roadside bombs in northern Gaza IDF says it killed key Hamas figure in Lebanon, confirms death of Oct. 7 terrorist in Gaza Troops destroy Hezbollah arms in rare southern Lebanon ground raids, IDF says For 2nd time in days, IDF says troops arrested terror cell in Syria working for Iran 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: A July 4, 2025, handout photo of IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip. (IDF)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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