ToI podcast

Daily Briefing May 23: Day 230 – Harrowing video spotlights female soldiers held by Hamas

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian updates us on the newly released Oct. 7 footage that shows the capture of five women at Nahal Oz, the Rafah operation and Haredi-draft report

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.

It is day 230 of the war with Hamas. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

Last night the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a 3-minute heavily redacted video showing the October 7 abduction of Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, all soldiers. All five are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. As the mother of a female fighter, this is a nightmare scenario for me. We hear what was included in the footage and why it is being released now.

The Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion and other forces under the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade began a new pinpoint raid in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun in recent days and three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting. We hear about the ongoing operations there.

The Rafah operation appears to be broadening as residents are increasingly leaving the city for the humanitarian zone and Israeli tanks have advanced nearer to the heart of Rafah. Fabian updates us on fighting in the city and along the Philadelphi Corridor.

Twelve Palestinians were killed as the military launched what it said was a counter-terrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday morning. What was the stated reason for the operation?

In the north, the commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit in the terror group’s coastal division was killed in an airstrike Monday. We hear updates.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was presented on Tuesday with a lengthy report laying out how the country could effectively recruit and integrate members of the ultra-Orthodox community into the Israel Defense Forces. We learn about several of the recommendations from the 49-page document.

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

Discussed articles include:

Hostage families release clip of 5 female troops’ abduction to push for their freedom

After release of hostage video, war cabinet okays resumption of stalled truce talks

3 soldiers killed in north Gaza; IDF advances in Rafah, locates rocket launchers

Palestinians say 7 killed, 9 wounded as IDF launches counter-terror op in Jenin

IDF says Hezbollah’s coastal rocket commander killed in drone strike

Gallant given report on ‘practical, applicable’ ways to draft Haredi men into IDF

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas’s onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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:

Most Popular
read more: