ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 500

Daily Briefing Feb. 3: Day 486 – Sadism, cages, starvation: Released hostages speak

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren on US envoy Steve Witkoff’s take-charge attitude ahead of a crucial meeting with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and released hostage testimonies

With:
  • Amanda Borschel-Dan
    Amanda Borschel-Dan

    Deputy Editor Amanda Borschel-Dan is the host of The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing and What Matters Now podcasts and heads up The Times of Israel’s features.

  • Biranit Goren
    Biranit Goren

    Biranit Goren is the editor of Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister publication.

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.

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington, DC, yesterday and is set to meet with US President Donald Trump tomorrow. In the meantime, he will meet and potentially start up talks about the second phase of the hostage release deal with US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. Who is Witkoff and is he the key to Trump’s idea of depopulating the Gaza Strip?

We discuss what we’re learning about the treatment meted out to the three men freed on Saturday: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel.

In an interview that aired on Israel’s “Uvda” investigative program on Tuesday evening, released hostage Amit Soussana said she owes her life to one of the recently released female surveillance soldiers, Liri Albag. Goren recounts portions of Soussana’s chilling interview.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

As Netanyahu arrives in Washington, Trump says talks on Middle East ‘progressing’

Witkoff to freed IDF soldiers: We have a common goal to bring everybody home

Hamas captors said to have tormented Yarden Bibas with incessant talk of wife, kids

Cages, starvation and fasting on Yom Kippur: More testimonies from freed hostages emerge

Keith Siegel forced to write thank-you letter to Hamas captors ahead of release

Ex-hostage says Liri Albag saved her life as Hamas captors tortured, threatened her

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple PodcastsSpotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here:

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