Daily Briefing Oct. 18: Day 378 – With Sinwar dead, US looks to renew hostage talks

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 on today’s podcast.

Magid discusses the different methods used to identify Yahya Sinwar’s body and what can be seen of the Hamas terror leader in the drone footage taken at the scene just before he was killed by IDF troops in Gaza on Wednesday.

He reviews reactions from the Biden administration, including calls made to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and various leaders in Qatar and Egypt in the hopes that Sinwar’s elimination can shift the dynamic in the stalled hostage negotiations.

Magid talks about who could be the new Hamas leader and how they might compare to Sinwar.

Magid also discusses the possibility of a more dialed-back response to the Iran ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1 and looks at Israel letting aid into northern Gaza, with shipments from Jordan and other crossings reopened to allow aid to flow in more easily, after threats from the US administration to withhold arms deliveries.

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

Discussed articles include:

World leaders welcome Sinwar’s death, hope it will precipitate hostage deal, end to war

Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar killed by IDF troops in Gaza

Oct. 17: Footage shows Sinwar hurling stick at IDF drone moments before he was killed

Israel lets 50 aid trucks into northern Gaza after US threat to curb arms deliveries

US gives Israel 30 days to address Gaza aid crisis, threatens to curb weapons supply

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here: