Daily Briefing Dec. 30: Day 85 - Is a new hostage release deal ready to be thawed out?

US bureau chief Jacob Magid updates on decrease in humanitarian aid to Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s fast-track of munitions ahead of an expected Israel trip

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 85 of the war. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s podcast.

Magid updates how despite a second Gaza border crossing being opened, there is a marked decrease of humanitarian aid entering the Strip. What’s happening here?

Qatari mediators have reportedly told Israel that Hamas “agrees in principle” to resume negotiations for the release of further hostages taken by the terror group during the October 7 atrocities, in exchange for a truce of up to a month in the Gaza. Magid tells us what else is known about any potential deal.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken fast-tracked the sale of munitions to Israel, bypassing congressional review over weapons being sent to Jerusalem for its war against Hamas for the second time this month because of the emergency. How long can this go on and what should we expect from Blinken’s trip to Israel this week.

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