Day 458 - As Lebanon truce frays, is Gaza deal in the offing?
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.4 • 864 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
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Summary
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.
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today’s show.
Israeli and regional media is rife with headlines about an imminent potential Gaza hostage release deal. However, after a Saudi outlet published a list it received from Hamas of 34 hostages the terror organization says would be freed in the first phase of a potential hostage-ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister’s Office puts out a statement stressing that the document is merely an Israeli list that was given to the mediating countries in July 2024. Berman updates us on what is going on.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein has just landed in Beirut. This comes a day after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel will be “forced to act” if Hezbollah does not pull back from southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. What is happening with the temporary truce agreement?
As Syria’s new government strives to gain international legitimacy after overthrowing the Bashar al-Assad regime, Western countries seem open to giving a chance to the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. Berman explains how Israel is sounding the alarm.
An Israel Defense Forces soldier who survived Hamas’s attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, hurriedly ended his vacation in Brazil on Sunday morning after the country’s Federal Court ordered police to open a war crimes investigation into him, according to Brazilian media. Another 11 soldiers across the globe were warned by the Foreign Ministry. Berman weighs in.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Leaked list names 34 hostages to be freed in 1st stage of Gaza deal; Israel denies progress
Hamas said to okay list of 34 hostages to be freed, but refuses to detail who’s alive
Katz warns ceasefire in jeopardy if Hezbollah doesn’t withdraw from south Lebanon
As European and Arab leaders rush to meet Syria’s new leader, Israel calls for caution
IDF soldier who survived Nova massacre escapes war crimes investigation in Brazil
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IMAGE: A protester with her hands bound and mouth taped shut holds a placard during a demonstration calling for the release of hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas terrorists since the October 7 attacks, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2025. (Jack Guez / AFP)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:10.1 | Today is Monday, January 6th, day 458 of the war. |
| 0:15.8 | Amanda Borchelle, Dan here with our diplomatic reporter, Laser Bearman. |
| 0:19.0 | Hi, Laser. |
| 0:20.0 | Thanks for joining me. |
| 0:20.7 | We have a lot to talk |
| 0:22.1 | about. Hi, good morning. Good to be here. Thank you. There's, again, increased buzz surrounding a potential |
| 0:28.3 | phased hostage release deal, and Laser will update us and what the headlines are saying, and again, |
| 0:35.1 | be our barometer for its likely success. Yesterday, |
| 0:39.4 | Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that Israel may not pull out from southern Lebanon |
| 0:45.3 | as the Lebanese army and Hezbollah are not upholding their end of the truce agreements. |
| 0:51.8 | Right now, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is in the region, and we'll hear what's |
| 0:56.7 | happening there, even as the new de facto leader of Syria is being courted by European leaders. |
| 1:05.2 | And finally, idea of soldiers abroad have a new concern on the horizon being investigated for war crimes. |
| 1:13.2 | Laser will fill us in on all of this and much, much more when we're back. |
| 1:24.1 | Israel's IDF reservists are the heart of the nation's strength and security. |
| 1:29.3 | Leaving behind their homes, families and livelihoods, they answer the call to defend their country without hesitation. |
| 1:37.3 | But reserve duty often comes with overwhelming financial and emotional challenges. |
| 1:43.3 | That's where Ogen steps in. |
| 1:46.0 | Through its Yuval Fund, Ogen provides interest-free loans and essential support programs |
| 1:53.0 | to help reservists and their families navigate these difficulties with dignity. |
| 1:58.0 | Right now, during one of Israel's most critical times, we have the opportunity to |
... |
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