Daily Briefing Dec 16: Day 71 - Israel reels from accidental killing of 3 hostages in Gaza

Political correspondent Tal Schneider on Israel’s responses to tragedy, calls for more hostage talks; US bureau chief Jacob Magid on why Israel doesn’t want to talk two states

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.

Today is day 71 of the war. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and US bureau chief Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s podcast.

Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz managed to escape Hamas captivity before they were mistakenly shot dead by troops on Friday morning at around 10 a.m. Hostage Yotam Haim, 28, was a drummer for the heavy metal band Persephore. Samar Talalka, 22, from Hura, was working in the Kibbutz Nir Am hatchery. Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26, was a computer engineering student.

According to an IDF initial probe, the three hostages were shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood Friday. They were shirtless, and one of them was carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag.

We first hear from Schneider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial reactions and then how hundreds took to the streets Friday night in Tel Aviv to demand a return to hostage talks.

Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani last night in an effort to kickstart talks. Schneider tells us what is known so far.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated the US’s stance that the Palestinian Authority should be responsible for governing Gaza at the end of Israel’s war with Hamas, but acknowledged that it would need to undergo significant changes to be fit to do so. We also heard that Israel should set the timeline for the war with Hamas. Magid gives other key points of the visit.

Israeli leaders have been privately urging the Biden administration to refrain from publicly talking about the two-state solution in the fallout of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught, four Israeli and US officials told The Times of Israel this week. Magid updates on how that’s going.

For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.