Daily Briefing July 3: Day 636 – Will the PM mark the war’s end at the White House?

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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

As Israel is said to be hoping to finalize a comprehensive Gaza deal before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House next week, Magid discusses the complexities of the ongoing hostage negotiations, including a framework of a two-month truce in which 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 deceased hostages would be returned.

This conversation can be viewed in full here:

Magid reports on the political implications of Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to the White House next week, and the possibility of the two leaders celebrating the successful military campaign against Iran. He also notes that while a ceasefire is being negotiated for Gaza, Netanyahu’s rhetoric still suggests an ongoing military campaign.

Distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza continues to be hampered by the conflict and Magid discusses a Haaretz report of excessive IDF fire at aid distribution sites, leading to an IDF investigation into potential war crimes.

Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump says Israel ‘agreed to necessary conditions to finalize’ 60-day Gaza ceasefire

Trump says he will be ‘very firm’ with Netanyahu on ending Gaza war

Netanyahu set to visit White House July 7 as US pushes for end to Gaza war

IDF confirms probe into killings near Gaza aid site, denies troops ordered to shoot civilians

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.

Check out yesterday’s episode here: