Daily Briefing Jan. 20: Day 472 – Joy, fear as hostages freed, Palestinian prisoners released

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and political reporter Tal Schneider describe the return of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher and the pending government reshuffle

With:

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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and political reporter Tal Schneider join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

Yesterday evening, three Hamas hostages were returned to Israeli soil as part of the hostage release-ceasefire agreement that went into effect at 11:15 yesterday morning. We learn how Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released, what we know currently of their conditions and how they were received in Israel.

Israel released 90 Palestinian security prisoners early Monday morning, hours after Hamas released the three civilian hostages on the first day of a ceasefire with the terror group in the Gaza Strip. These inmates included terror convicts but reportedly none convicted of murder. Where were they taken and how were they greeted?

We hear a quick update on the status of the truce that is still holding in southern Lebanon — and that is meant to expire on Sunday.

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party quit the coalition on Sunday morning, following through on its threat to exit if the government agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Schneider discusses the new alignment of power in the coalition and goes through several potential scenarios.

At the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, today, part of the festivities will be led by Yeshiva University head Rabbi Ari Berman, who will deliver a benediction. We hear what else Israeli or Jewish may be in store.

This episode can also be viewed here:

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

Discussed articles include:

Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 471 days

Beaming, laughing, weeping, 3 freed hostages finally reunite with loved ones

Israel frees 90 Palestinian security prisoners, who are welcomed with Hamas flags

Otzma Yehudit exits coalition over Gaza deal, blasting it as ‘victory for terrorism’

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:

read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.