Daily Briefing May 3: Day 210 - Turkey halts all trade with Israel after 75 years

Political correspondent Tal Schneider discusses Gazan aid and Israel-Turkish trade; archaeology reporter Gavriel Fiske explains a carbon-dating breakthrough for ancient Jerusalem

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 210 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and archaeology reporter Gavriel Fiske join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

Schneider discusses the latest regarding aid for Gaza, brought in Thursday through Israel’s Erez Crossing, and promptly seized by Hamas. The crossing has been rebuilt for trucks after being destroyed by Hamas on October 7. She also describes the temporary floating pier being built by US troops off the Gaza coast for the transfer of additional aid.

Schneider also looks at Turkey’s decision to halt all trade with Israel, a major economic step given the annual $7 billion turnover in bilateral commercial trade, as Turkey begins to erase all traces of Israel from its imports and exports after 75 years.

Fiske explains the complicated science of carbon-dating techniques utilized by a team at the Weizmann Institute who examined the rings of trees and other organic matter to determine the size and breadth of ancient Jerusalem.

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