Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today is Monday, February 3rd, Day 486 of the war.

Amanda Borschelle, Dan here with our Zman-Y Israel editor, Birnit Goren. Hi, Bira. Thank you so much for

joining me today. Hi, Amanda. It's good to be here.

The pleasure is mine.

We are going to concentrate on information we're learning from the returned hostages about their

captivities. We'll hear what we now know about the treatment, meet it out to the three men

who were released on Saturday, Yardin Bibas, Keith Siegel, and Ofer Calderon.

And we'll hear chilling accounts from Amit Susanna, who was freed in November 2023 after 55 days

of captivity. But first, we'll learn about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming meetings

in Washington, D.C., today, and tomorrow,

especially with U.S. East envoy Steve Whitkoff. All this and much, much more when we're back.

During this period of upheaval in Israel, across the Middle East, and in U.S.-Israel relations,

it's always tough to see through the fog of war and get clarity about what's really happening

and what's really important on the ground. These days, too, can be really difficult to talk about,

let alone envision a better way forward and a better future for everyone living in the region.

Join me, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber,

as I host the very top analysts, journalists, policymakers, and other experts for in-depth

conversations to keep you informed on the most critical issues challenging Israel's future as secure, Jewish, and Democratic.

Find Israel Policy Pod wherever you get your podcasts, and let's get into it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington, D.C. yesterday and is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump tomorrow.

In the meantime, he's meant to meet and potentially start up talks about the second phase of the hostage release deal with U.S. Mid-East envoy, Steve Whitkoff.

Now, Whitkoff was just in Israel. He entered Gaza. He met with hostage families and released soldiers.

And, Bira, what can you tell us about Steve Whitkoff?

...