Day 591 - PM orders immediate Gaza aid as talks falter
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.4 • 864 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Dozens of airstrikes were reported overnight and IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, in a press statement from the Gaza border, says five divisions are now operating inside the Strip in the new offensive aimed at defeating Hamas. The ramped-up operation and Israel’s apparent determination have caused renewed determination to strike a deal. But the real question is which deal and whether the sides will bend at all. Magid fills us in.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate resumption of “basic” humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening. Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March to try to pressure Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages. We learn about the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and when it will be up and running.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu orders immediate renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza, under heavy US pressure
US said pushing 2-month ceasefire deal for 9-10 hostages; Hamas denies this is agreed
Witkoff told mediators US not planning to force Israel to end Gaza war, officials say
New aid group: We’ll start Gaza operations by June; Israel to lift blockade in interim
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 and video edited by Thomas Girsch.
IMAGE: A Palestinian man stands next to a truck carrying UNICEF aid supplies outside a shopping mall in Gaza City on May 12, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today is Monday, May 19th, Day 591 of the war. |
| 0:11.1 | Amanda Borchelle Donned here with our U.S. Bureau Chief Jacob Magid. Hi, Jacob. Thanks for joining me today. |
| 0:16.8 | Hey, man, good to be with you. It's always great to speak with you. It is early morning in Jerusalem and late at night in the U.S. |
| 0:24.8 | And Operation Gideon's Chariots has ramped up even more overnight with airstrikes on much of the Gaza Strip. |
| 0:31.5 | At the same time, efforts to strike a hostage-release ceasefire deal have ramped up in parallel, so Jacob will tell us |
| 0:40.4 | what is on the table right now as far as we know. And the need for humanitarian aid has become |
| 0:46.6 | increasingly dire for the past several months. Over night, as I was sleeping, Prime Minister |
| 0:51.5 | Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would immediately |
| 0:54.7 | allow the resumption of humanitarian aid into the strip. |
| 0:58.9 | We have a lot to talk about. |
| 1:00.2 | So all this and more when we're back. |
| 1:07.1 | Hi, everyone. |
| 1:08.2 | I'm Michal. |
| 1:09.0 | And I'm Noah. |
| 1:09.8 | And we'd like to invite you to wander with us on our podcast, Wondering Jews with Mikhail and Noam, a podcast from Anfax. |
| 1:16.9 | On Wondering Jews, that's wondering with an O, not wondering, wondering, we wonder together about big questions being asked by Jewish people and about the Jewish people. |
| 1:26.5 | Challenging ideas, exploring traditions, |
| 1:28.3 | and maybe even arguing just a little bit along the way. Sometimes it's just the two of us, |
| 1:33.2 | and other times we're joined by some fascinating guests. For us, it's not about arriving at a neatly |
| 1:38.8 | packaged answer, but rather about the journey of wandering together and leaving every episode having learned |
| 1:45.4 | something new. So if you love thoughtful discussions that bring fresh perspectives, join us. |
| 1:51.2 | Subscribe to Wondering Jews with Michal and Noam wherever you get your podcast. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times of Israel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times of Israel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.