The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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Day 734 - Joy as Trump announces all hostages to be freed 'very soon'
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. US President Donald Trump announced overnight Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the “first phase” of his plan to secure the release of all hostages and end the Gaza war, two years and a day after the fighting was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 in southern Israel, with another 250 taken hostage to Gaza. Speculation had mounted that an announcement was imminent after photographers managed to snap photos of a note that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed to Trump during a White House meeting. Trump later took to his Truth Social platform, saying, “This means that ALL of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw [its] troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting Peace.” Trump’s announcement of the agreement set off a flood of emotion early Thursday morning among freed captives and families and Israelis gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where mass weekly rallies have been held to call for the hostages’ return, cheering the news and chanting, “Nobel Prize to Trump.” In Gaza as well, residents cheered the news of the deal even as the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee cautioned that the area north of Wadi Gaza — the northern part of the Strip — is still defined as a combat zone. Magid takes us through what we know of the pressures that pushed all sides to sign onto the deal and what obstacles remain. We hear about the probable timeline for the release of the hostages -- and a victory-lap visit by Trump to the region next week. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Trump announces deal reached on first part of his Gaza plan: ‘All hostages will be freed very soon’ Ex-captives and hostage families respond with tears, relief to news of upcoming release Trump, after securing deal: ‘This is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: People dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 733 - Critical moment as major players arrive for talks in Egypt
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. As negotiating heavyweights White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer arrive for talks in Egypt, Magid surmises that it's crunch time for the potential Gaza deal. He expects discussions to revolve around thornier issues, such as disarming Hamas, and which Palestinian prisoners the terrorist group is demanding in exchange for the remaining hostages. Following the Kumu (Rise Again) ceremony held to mark October 7 in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, Steinberg discusses the speakers, singers and audience at the event, which is run by bereaved and hostage family members, and is not an official government event. Steinberg also talks about "Red Alert," the new October 7 drama series about four intertwined stories of survivors from that day. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: PM’s office reports progress in talks on Gaza deal as top negotiators set to join Trump ‘pretty sure’ there will be a Gaza deal, denies telling PM to not be ‘f*cking negative’ As negotiators head to Egypt, Trump aims for ‘first phase’ of Gaza deal this week ‘We will rise’: Grief, defiance and hope as 30,000 gather in Tel Aviv two years after Oct. 7 Oct. 7 series ‘Red Alert’ a harrowing global reminder of what unfolded in Hamas massacre Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: At the end of the Kumu (Rise Again) October 7 ceremony in Tel Aviv, on October 7, 2025 (Courtesy Eclipse Media)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 732 - For Oct. 7, a spotlight on ToI's Those We Have Lost Project
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. News editor Amy Spiro joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, highlighting eight individuals from our Those We Have Lost project, which memorializes the 1,200 who were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The first entry was written on October 11, 2023, when the number of the murdered was still unclear and funerals were held around the clock. Today, with 1,250 individual entries covering almost every single person killed by Hamas and dozens of soldiers who fell in the war, headed up by Spiro, our Those We Have Lost project paints a picture of each of their lives and the ongoing ripple effects of their deaths. For this episode, we focus on eight immigrants to Israel who lost their lives at the very beginning of the war. They include: Carol Siman Tov, 70, from the United States; Haim Zohar, 73, from Iran; Staff Sgt. Binyamin Loeb, 23, from France; Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, 29, from Ethiopia; Silvia Mirensky, 80, from Argentina; Dr. Victoria & Prof. Sergey Gredeskul, 81, from Ukraine; Sgt. Emil Eliav Samoylov, 22, from Russia; and Jake Marlowe, 26, from England. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Carol Siman Tov, 70: Native of Pennsylvania and dedicated nurse Haim Zohar, 73: Loving grandfather with dementia slain in Be’eri Staff Sgt. Binyamin Loeb, 23: Orthodox paratrooper son of French rabbi Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, 29: Police officer left behind newborn Silvia Mirensky, 80: Argentine immigrant who loved kibbutz life Dr. Victoria & Prof. Sergey Gredeskul, 81: Acclaimed BGU scientists Sgt. Emil Samoylov, 22: Lone soldier immigrated from Russia to enlist Jake Marlowe, 26: British-Israeli musician for UK band Desolated Those we have lost Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 731 - Could Hamas demands tank the Trump peace plan?
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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump was asked by CNN what would happen if the Hamas terror group didn't relinquish power. Trump responded by text, “Complete obliteration!” Be that as it may, as Berman says, the Hamas terror group is treating the current talks in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh as yet another round of negotiations. We learn about who is in the room where it may happen and what Hamas is demanding. Skirmishes are ongoing in Gaza despite a pause in offensive activity by Israeli forces. The IDF is reporting that it carried out a number of airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks yesterday and troops on the ground are carrying out defensive operations. Berman explains what "defensive operations" entail when there are tens of thousands of troops on the ground in the Gaza Strip. And finally, we speak about the large intercepted flotilla and the status of the hundreds of activists that were aboard. We learn that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will be among more than 70 people of different nationalities to leave Israel on Monday, even as another flotilla is on the horizon this week. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: As negotiators head to Egypt, Trump urges ‘first phase’ of Gaza deal this week Hamas said to demand release of terror chiefs, Oct. 7 terrorists in deal for hostages Hamas faces ‘complete obliteration’ if it clings to power in Gaza, warns Trump Greta Thunberg set to be deported from Israel Monday on flight to Athens Israel denies abuse as Ben Gvir touts harsh handling of Greta Thunberg, flotilla activists Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: A man walks past a mural depicting the Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, with a message that reads in Arabic, 'See you soon,' on Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, August 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Day 730 - Cautious optimism for Trump peace plan ahead of Cairo talks
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. Intensive negotiations to potentially finalize the Trump peace plan are set for Monday in Egypt. Israel and Hamas are sending teams and US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to join with Arab mediators in what may be a final attempt to broker the agreement to release all Israeli hostages and end the almost two-year war in the Gaza Strip. To begin the program, Magid fills us in on some of Hamas’s amendments to the 20-point deal. In its response to US President Donald Trump, the terror group overtly said it expects to be part of a "comprehensive Palestinian national framework" that discusses the future of the Gaza Strip, and will contribute to it with full responsibility." What does that mean for Israel's insistence that Hamas has no role in Gaza? On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a cautiously optimistic statement that he hopes to see the hostages back home, “even during the Sukkot holiday,” which begins this week. The Israel Defense Forces was ordered to halt its offensive to capture Gaza City on Saturday after Trump said his Gaza truce plan was accepted by Hamas and called on Israel to stop bombing the Strip. We hear more about Netanyahu's statement and learn about a Friday phone call between the prime minister and the US president. In another sign of public support for the peace plan, Chief Sephardic Rabbi David Yosef, at the start of a weekly homily delivered after the end of Shabbat, said Israelis “must pray that leaders make the right decisions.” Magid describes the careful steps that politicians such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir -- who oppose stopping the war -- are taking as they navigate the push-pull of public support and elections on the horizon. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: PM: Hopeful all hostages will be freed in days; Trump: I told Bibi, this is your victory Full text: Hamas’s response to Trump plan for ending Gaza war, returning hostages IDF strikes in Gaza City ‘significantly subside,’ but dozens said killed in past day Ben Gvir threatens to bolt government if Hamas ‘continues to exist’ after hostages freed Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: IDF forces operate in the Gaza Strip in this October 3, 2025, handout photo. (IDF)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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