Day 490 - With US backing, Israel wants more hostages in first stage
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2025
⏱️ 13 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 correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Thursday on Capitol Hill, Berman reports from the Capitol, where much of the focus is still on US President Donald Trump's proposal to offer Gazans to relocate from the war-torn region.
Berman says the atmosphere toward Netanyahu is friendly and the prime minister's entourage is "almost giddy" with the sense of friendship and support from the Trump administration, following the criticism and tension that existed with members of the Biden administration.
While the date to restart negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas has come and gone, Berman says that Israel is now trying to extend the current stage of the deal as much as possible and to get some more hostages out in this first stage. He adds that Israel currently has the upper hand right given Trump's support, and Hamas appears to be carefully maneuvering itself, in its attempt not to be seen as the one making the deal fail.
Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates.
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
For further reading:
Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager at White House meeting, PM’s office confirms
Trump says Israel would hand Gaza to US when war ends, no American troops needed there
PM calls Trump’s Gaza plan ‘remarkable’; Katz tells IDF to prep for voluntary emigration
Meeting Netanyahu, US defense secretary says Trump seeking ‘new ways to solve problems’
Trump’s Gaza plan won’t happen, but it could certainly shake up the region
IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, is welcomed by, from left, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as they meet at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. It's Friday, February 7th, and I'm Jessica Steinberg. I'm speaking today with diplomatic correspondent Laser Berman, currently in Washington, D.C., covering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the region. Hi, Laser. Hi, Jessica. Hello there. |
| 0:23.4 | It is day 490 of the war. Israel's military vowed to prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to rearm in Lebanon |
| 0:31.1 | as the IDF targeted arms depots that violated the SIF fire, which is in place for another 11 days. |
| 0:39.1 | As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his way around the Capitol on Thursday, |
| 0:43.4 | U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order sanctioning the International Criminal Court |
| 0:48.0 | over its Israel arrest warrants that were made several months ago and an ongoing probe of |
| 0:54.1 | U.S. soldiers. |
| 0:55.6 | The Trump administration also said that it is planning to escalate and intensify the fighting |
| 1:00.5 | against Yemen's Houthis in the near future, and recently appointed Secretary of State |
| 1:06.0 | Maria Rubio is slated to visit Israel in the next couple of weeks. |
| 1:10.6 | Laser is going to review some of these |
| 1:12.9 | details and comments and other aspects of the Prime Minister's visit to Washington, as well as |
| 1:18.5 | what is the current state of the hostage deal, and this ongoing conversation about the Trump |
| 1:24.3 | proposal to move Gazans out of Gaza, at least for the time being. |
| 1:29.7 | We'll talk about all of it after a quick break. |
| 1:35.7 | What if we could protect Israel with autonomous airborne devices, lasers, robots, and cyber technologies? |
| 1:43.6 | We can, because of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, |
| 1:47.6 | the Technion empowers brilliant innovators to make technological discoveries that keep Israel safe. |
| 1:53.3 | From the Iron Dome to the soon-to-come Iron Beam, to vital cybersecurity, |
| 1:58.4 | Technion alumni are leading projects that protect Israelis and will reestablish the |
| 2:03.0 | country's military deterrence. Be part of Israel's future at ats.org slash what if. That is |
| 2:07.4 | ats.org slash what if. |
... |
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