Daily Briefing Jan. 23: Day 109 - Chain of events that caused deaths of 21 soldiers

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian on the deadliest IDF troop event in Gaza; diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman on puppet master Iran and what a lengthy truce deal would mean

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 109 of the war. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

Israelis awoke to the terrible announcement that 21 Israeli soldiers were killed yesterday when they came under attack in the southern Gaza Strip, triggering a blast that collapsed two buildings with soldiers inside them. Fabian tells us what we know so far.

Israel has reportedly submitted a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian mediators that would see it agree to pause its military offensive against Hamas for as long as two months, in exchange for a phased release of the 136 hostages in Gaza. Berman and Fabian weigh in on what a lengthy truce would do to the war effort.

Iran is “very directly involved” in ship attacks that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have carried out during Israel’s war against Hamas, the US Navy’s top Mideast commander told The Associated Press. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of their capabilities. Berman weighs in with what he’s finding.

To close out today’s program, Berman puts on his “chaplain’s hat,” a role he held in university, as Borschel-Dan asks what can help Israel as a nation move forward after such terrible news this morning.

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