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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on Thursday published a propaganda video of hostage Rom Braslavski, whom it is holding captive in the Gaza Strip. A second propaganda video, from Hamas, was released Friday, showing hostage Evyatar David. We hear how the two young men look and what was said in the David video.
The Israel Defense Forces declared yesterday that it had defeated Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion. It is the fifth time that the IDF is operating in the town of Beit Hanoun, which is located on the northeastern edge of the Gaza Strip, just across from Israel’s southern city of Sderot. Fabian describes what he saw and was told last week while in this area.
While visiting southern Lebanon last week, Fabian was told that the IDF assesses that its achievements against Hezbollah since a November ceasefire could potentially bring the Lebanese terror group to complete disarmament. We hear why.
The military announced last week that it will commute the sentences of three soldiers of the Nahal Infantry Brigade who were disciplined for insubordination after refusing to return to fight in Gaza. Fabian weighs in on whether this incident is just the tip of the iceberg and if the IDF is taking enough preventative steps to protect its fighters' mental health.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
In video, Hamas forces hostage Evyatar David to dig what he fears will be his own grave
Islamic Jihad airs video of hostage Rom Braslavski; ‘They broke him,’ family says
IDF declares defeat of Hamas battalion in Beit Hanoun, as operatives shown surrendering
In Beit Hanoun for 5th time, officers say Hamas battalion to be destroyed ‘within a week’
IDF assesses successes against Hezbollah since ceasefire could lead to it disarming
IDF commutes jail time for three soldiers who refused to return to Gaza combat
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IMAGE: A woman holds photos of top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, left, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, and his cousin and successor, Hashem Safieddine, center, during a commemoration marking the first anniversary of Shukur's death in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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