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 on today’s episode.
Horovitz discusses ongoing spin regarding ongoing hostage negotiations, more than a year after the release of 105 hostages that took place during a brief pause in fighting in November 2023. It’s not clear if what’s being discussed would be a truce or ceasefire, says Horovitz, but Israel says it needs to know how many people Hamas would be releasing and who they are, and mutual recriminations continue without a final deal.
More from The Daily Briefing
January 18, 2025Daily Briefing Jan. 18: Day 470 - 3 hostages set to come home Sunday under truce with Hamas
January 17, 2025Daily Briefing Jan. 17: Day 469 - A look back at Biden on Israel: Patron or patronizer?
January 16, 2025Daily Briefing Jan. 16: Day 468 - The complexities of making a deal with the devil
January 15, 2025Daily Briefing Jan. 15: Day 467 - Hostage deal could be signed Wednesday or Thursday
January 14, 2025Daily Briefing Jan. 14: Day 466 - Security concerns as Israelis hold their breath for deal
He also discusses how it has become an untenable “semi-norm” for half of Israel to have to dash for shelter in the middle of the night when the Houthis in Yemen fire rockets, and the complications of deterring this Iranian-backed organization.
Horovitz reviews his latest op-ed, about a new sense of awareness and preparedness of the IDF on the many fronts where it’s been fighting, and relates to the unfolding situation in Syria, where it is being extremely wary and doing what it can militarily to minimize possible future risks from the new regime.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Israel and Hamas accuse each other of foiling hostage-ceasefire deal
IDF probe: Intel on 6 hostages murdered by Hamas was lacking; troops acted carefully
Houthis fire missile at central Israel for 4th night in past week; IDF intercepts it
Houthi drone crashes in south as terror group said to brace for major Israeli attack
Report: Mossad chief believes Israel should target Iran to get at Houthis; PM disagrees
IDF’s prewar complacency replaced by wariness on every front, proactivism where possible
Israel shifts focus to Houthis, but it needs partners to defeat distant foe
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.