The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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Day 653 - IDF poised to enter untouched Hamas stronghold
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 Israeli military said this morning that it was set to begin ground operations in Deir al-Balah for the first time since the start of the war, issuing an evacuation order for Palestinians in the southwest of the city in the central Gaza Strip. Deir al-Balah is one of the few places in the Strip where the military has not yet operated with ground troops because it believed Hamas to be holding hostages there, though it has conducted airstrikes in the city. Fabian spells out scenarios why the IDF is now ready to operate there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement late Thursday expressing its regret after IDF tank fire killed three civilians in Gaza’s only Catholic church, heeding a demand from US President Donald Trump, who angrily phoned the Israeli premier over the incident. Following the fatal strike, the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Jerusalem, entered the Gaza Strip on Friday alongside Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem. Fabian describes the events that led to the accidental shelling. Dozens of Gazans were reportedly killed near aid distribution sites in the past few days. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometer away from an aid site that was not active at the time.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group that runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. Fabian discusses the refusals from the IDF and the GHF for reporters to visit the sites and help clear up the tangled narratives. Israel is preparing to send medical equipment and medicine to a hospital in the Druze-majority city of Sweida, in southern Syria, after days of violence left an estimated 900 people dead and the medical facility badly damaged, the Health Ministry announced on Saturday. We hear about the IDF's involvement in the Syrian province over the past week and how hundreds of Israeli Druze have breached the border -- sometimes repeatedly. What does this mean about Israel's security along the border? Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: IDF set to begin ground operations in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah for first time More deaths reported near aid sites; Mossad chief, Witkoff said to discuss relocating Gazans Palestinians say at least 26 killed near Gaza aid sites; IDF says troops fired warning shots After angry call from Trump, PM says Israel deeply regrets mistaken shelling of Gaza church Jerusalem’s highest-ranking Christian officials enter Gaza to visit church hit by IDF Israel preparing to send medical gear to Sweida as clashes persist despite ceasefire 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: Members of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, take part in a military parade along a street in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on January 19, 2025. (BASHAR TALEB / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 652 - Actor Guri Alfi on the need to unite Israel and the Diaspora
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with Guri Alfi, comic, actor and producer of "The New Jew." Recorded before the conflict with Iran, Alfi speaks about his experiences filming the second season of "The New Jew," a series he first created with public broadcaster Kan 11 in 2021 that had him looking at the Jewish community in the United States. For these latest episodes, Alfi traveled to the US to speak to Jews in the wake of October 7 and the intense antisemitism and anti-Zionism that exploded across college campuses and American cities. Guri discusses his conversations with a range of Jewish leaders, including Reform Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, student leaders from Columbia and Harvard universities, and bereaved parents whose dual-citizen children became Israeli lone soldiers and were killed in the line of duty on October 7 and during the ongoing war. Guri says he wanted to show the bonds between the Israeli and American Jewish communities, and to show the hope and future that still exist despite the terrible events and trauma of the last 21 months. He also talks about one of his latest projects, “Speeches Against Despair” during the upcoming Israel Festival, in which he, along with actress Noa Koler, musician Noga Erez, actor Norman Issa, actress Maya Landsmann, screenwriter Galit Hoogi and others offer new interpretations to historical speeches. And so this week, we ask Guri Alfi 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 651 - Who are the Druze and why is Israel protecting them?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, as violence between Syria's Druze and Bedouin communities reached a boiling point in the southern city of Sweida, hundreds of Druze rushed across the border from Israel, vowing to protect their community in Syria. Israel joined in as the protector of the Syrian Druze and the IDF said it struck over 160 targets in Syria, mostly in the area of Sweida, including government tanks and machine guns headed there. The military also said it was bolstering forces in the Golan Heights, on the Syrian border, in preparation for days of potential conflict. Likewise, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber issued an open call to Israel and the world to help the Druze in Syria, citing the biblical commandment “not to stand by the blood of your neighbor.” We delve into the origins of the mysterious religion and Israeli ties to the ancient people which came to settle in what is today three nations: Lebanon, Syria and Israel. We discuss what could be Israel's motivations in taking on the mantle of protector of the persecuted minority -- and international backlash to it. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: A woman carries a Druze and an Israeli flag near the US Embassy in Jerusalem on July 16, 2025. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 650 - As Syria restores calm, will it spur talks with Israel?
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 reviews the chaotic conflict that unfolded in Syria over the last days between the Syrian Druze minority, the Bedouin in Syria, and at times, Syrian-linked militia troops. US pressure on Israel pushed forward a quick resolution on the situation, bringing forward a ceasefire and Magid points out that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ultimately wants the various ethnic groups in Syria, including the Druze and Bedouin, to fall in line, particularly as Syria and Israel have been moving forward toward more cooperation. As ultra-Orthodox party Shas left its ministerial positions in the government in protest over the proposed Haredi enlistment law, Magid discusses whether the Shas move could lead to early elections after the upcoming summer session break. A Gaza deal seems possible, says Magid, as Israel rolled back some of its demands regarding aspects of its withdrawal from Gaza, and mediators are currently more optimistic regarding a possible deal. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Syrian gov’t forces begin withdrawing from Sweida as Israel vows to protect Druze Rubio: ‘We think we’re on our way toward a real deescalation’ between Israel, Syria Shas bolts government over Haredi enlistment, remains part of PM’s coalition Official says Gaza deal ‘more likely than not,’ as Israel said to retract pullback demands 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: Druze residents protest near the Israel-Syria border fence in solidarity with their community in Syria, July 16, 2025. (Photo by Michael Giladi/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 649 - College heads, NYC comptroller on the mat over anti-Zionism
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. New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Tress discusses several universities dealing with issues of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, including Tuesday's hearing in Congress as Republican officials questioned the CUNY chancellor and presidents of Berkeley and Georgetown about foreign funding, support for terrorism on campus and harassment of Jewish students on campus, keeping up the Trump administration pressure. He also discusses a report on Israel studies programs in universities, as a Jerusalem think tank looked at the climate on campuses, including anti-Zionism activism on campus alongside rich discussion and a broad array of viewpoints in the classroom. Tress talks about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and his threats to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited New York, as well as the current feud between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander about a possible BDS conflict over New York's divestment from Israel bonds. He also mentions the 100-year-old Adirondacks synagogue that has persisted despite the dearth of Jews in the area and the history of Jewish immigrants in rural America. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US university heads grilled in Congress about anti-Israel terror support on campus Shai Davidai, an outspoken Israeli professor at Columbia, leaves the university Israeli postdoc sues Stanford for discrimination; university denies it Israel studies programs on US campuses are at a crisis point, report warns NYC hopeful Mamdani’s vow to arrest Netanyahu likely oversteps what US mayors can do NYC mayor feuds with comptroller over Israel bonds investments NY’s rural 120-year-old ‘Peddlers’ Synagogue’ charts new path — without a congregation 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: FILE- Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters demonstrate on the campus of DePaul University, April 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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