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 Daily Briefing. Following US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, in the presence of several recently released Hamas hostages, Magid discusses that Trump did not mention any of the former Israeli hostages by name, although some were in the audience. M...
Mar 05, 2025•24 min
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 Daily Briefing. Israel carried out an airstrike in Syria on Monday evening, targeting a military facility near the city of Tartous, in the country’s northwestern coastal region. And today, the Defense Ministry says it is carrying out activities to clear explosives ...
Mar 04, 2025•35 min
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. Zman Yisrael founding editor Biranit Goren joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. Early this morning, a terror attack was carried out in Haifa's bus station, killing one man and injuring four others before the terrorist was neutralized by security forces. Goren discusses some of the known details of the attack, noting that it b...
Mar 03, 2025•19 min
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. Late last night, following a four-hour security consultation with top officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declared that it was endorsing what it described as a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s special Middle East envoy...
Mar 02, 2025•20 min
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. Film critic Jordan Hoffman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing, a bonus episode of our weekly What Matters Now podcast series. Ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday night, The Times of Israel’s film critic gives his predictions on which of the five films related to Israel or the Jews will have any chance of...
Mar 01, 2025•43 min
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. A Palestinian man steered his car into a crowd of peopl...
Feb 28, 2025•32 min
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. ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. Following the heartbreaking Wednesday afternoon burial of Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas, Israel receives the bodies of four more hostage bodies, Itzik Elgarat, Tsahi Idan, Ohad Yahalomi and Shlomo Mantzour, received in the middle of the night on Wednes...
Feb 27, 2025•24 min
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 , political reporter Tal Schneider and reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing. Hamas and Israel reportedly reached an agreement for the release of four Israeli hostages’ bodies and 602 Palestinian security prisoners, the terror group and an Israeli official said late Tu...
Feb 26, 2025•27 min
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 Daily Briefing. The negotiations for extending phase one of the hostage deal will begin Wednesday, says Magid, with US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff's arrival first in Israel, as Israel is currently seen as the toughest partner. Any extension of the first phase of the ceasefire w...
Feb 25, 2025•16 min
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. The White House says that it supports Israel’s decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing the “barbaric treatment” of Israeli hostages by Hamas. At the same time, we’re hearing for the first time from US Presiden...
Feb 24, 2025•21 min
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 Daily Briefing. Six Israelis held hostage by Hamas were released yesterday -- four whom were taken on October 7, 2023, and two who were in the Strip for about a decade. Horovitz relates what we're beginning to learn about the horrific conditions of their captivities. Hamas publishe...
Feb 23, 2025•22 min
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 Daily Briefing. Kibbutz Nir Oz said early Saturday morning that resident Shiri Bibas was murdered while held captive in Gaza, after Hamas handed over her body overnight and it was brought to Israel for identification. Fabian updates us on what we know of her and her chil...
Feb 22, 2025•19 min
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 Kf...
Feb 21, 2025•39 min
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. Coffins holding what are believed to be the bodies of four slain hostages were driven across the border from the Gaza Strip back into Israel this morning, 503 days after they were abducted alive by Hamas-led terrorists. The four were named by Israel and by their terrorist ...
Feb 20, 2025•18 min
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...
Feb 19, 2025•29 min
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. Today as the extended deadline for IDF withdrawal from Lebanon under the US-brokered ceasefire expires, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Starting today, the IDF will remain in a buffer zone in Lebanon in five strategic outposts and will continue to enfo...
Feb 18, 2025•25 min
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 joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Sunday visit in Israel, Berman discusses the seemingly coordinated statements made by Rubio and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister spoke about the deep synchronicity between him and the Trump ad...
Feb 17, 2025•18 min
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. As certain details emerge regarding the 15-month captivity of the three hostages released on Saturday, Horovitz discusses the scraps of information shared so far, including what's known about Iair Horn's brother Eitan, who is still a captive, that Sa...
Feb 16, 2025•20 min
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 hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn crossed back into Israel this morning after being paraded on a stage in southern Gaza in a propaganda-filled release ceremony by the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups after 498 days in ca...
Feb 15, 2025•24 min
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 episode, part of The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join Berman and Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, Berman assesses how the current Trump administration's foreign policy seems to be s...
Feb 14, 2025•34 min
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 environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Sokol looks at the coalition's struggle over ultra-Orthodox army service exemptions, between those who want to minimize exemptions and those who want to use legislation to create a gradual increase leading to universal enlistment. He...
Feb 13, 2025•19 min
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. Magid discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flip-flopped Tuesday night with a series of statements regarding the current ceasefire and the number of hostages to be released on Saturday. Magid suggests it could be part of an ongoing effort to back US President...
Feb 12, 2025•24 min
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 Tal Schneider and diaspora reporter Zev Stub join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Schneider discusses further details about some of the hostages that have emerged from the recently released hostages, including signs of life about twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman. There is also the news that hostage Shlomo Man...
Feb 11, 2025•21 min
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. With the return to Israel of the three most recently released hostages, several hostage families are receiving the first signs of life from their loved ones, including hostage Alon Ohel. Horovitz discusses the heartbreaking descriptions shared b...
Feb 10, 2025•20 min
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 correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. As the three hostages, Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami return to Israel, questions arise about what they knew of their families' fates as they were released. Fabian discusses some of the details about what each man learned upon coming home to Israel, whet...
Feb 09, 2025•20 min
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. Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, are back home in Israel after 491 days of captivity. Sharabi was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas terrorists rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023. His wife and daughte...
Feb 08, 2025•22 min
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 joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Thursday on Capitol Hill, Berman reports from the Capitol, where much of the focus is still on US President Donald Trump's proposal to offer Gazans to relocate from the war-torn region. Berman says the atmosphere towar...
Feb 07, 2025•11 min
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 reporter Diana Bletter join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Sokol discusses the variety of reactions from Knesset members to the remarks made by US President Donald Trump suggesting the relocation of Gazans from the Strip during the expected long reconstruction period. He looks at the predictably please...
Feb 06, 2025•22 min
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. After US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in the White House on Tuesday, Trump repeated his statements to the press about relocating all Gazans, possibly placing US troops in Gaza and annexing the West Bank. Magid reviews the highlights of Trum...
Feb 05, 2025•21 min
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. Eight were wounded, two critically, in the shooting attack at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir this morning. Horovitz updates on what we knew about the attack at recording time. Sadly, two soldiers' deaths were subsequently announced. Prime Minist...
Feb 04, 2025•19 min
