Day 592 - Fury as politician claims Israel kills Gazan babies 'as a hobby'

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

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4.4 • 864 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada issued a joint statement Monday condemning Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and calling on the Jewish state to immediately halt military action in the enclave and allow in more aid, threatening “further concrete actions in response” if Jerusalem refuses. Likewise, an additional 19 countries issued a joint statement urging Israel to “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately” after the partial lifting of its blockade on the territory. Horovitz describes what he says is a new, troubling sign in this round of global condemnations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his decision to allow limited humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, saying that pressure on Israel had been “approaching a red line.” The step was necessary to press ahead with the expanded military offensive against Hamas, he said to his political allies, and had to begin despite the fact that IDF-secured distribution centers designed to keep the supplies out of the hands of the terror group were not yet ready. How has his coalition taken the news?

In comments that have roiled Israel, Yair Golan, head of the opposition party The Democrats, issued a scathing denunciation of the government and the war in Gaza, saying that Israel was killing children in Gaza “as a hobby.” Later attempting to fend off widespread criticism over his comment, The Democrats chairman praised IDF fighters as “heroes” fighting on behalf of a “corrupt” government. Horovitz weighs in on what may have brought Golan to make these explosive statements.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

UK, France, Canada warn of ‘concrete actions’ if Israel doesn’t halt war, boost aid

Five trucks of humanitarian aid enter Gaza, says Israel, ending two-month blockade

Netanyahu defends Gaza aid resumption, acknowledges step stemmed from allies’ pressure

‘Insanity’: Hawkish politicians and groups pillory Netanyahu for resuming aid to Gaza

Qatar PM says ‘fundamental differences’ between sides have stalled Doha ceasefire talks

Outrage as opposition party leader Golan says Israel ‘killing babies as a hobby’ in Gaza

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: Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 19, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today's Tuesday, May 20th, day 592 of the war. I'm Amanda
0:11.6	Borchelle Dan here with our editor, David Horowitz, joining me from our Jerusalem office. Hi, David.
0:16.4	Thanks for joining me today. Sure. Hi, Amanda. The war has ramped up and with it casualties in Gaza and the
0:23.5	number of countries who are scrutinizing Israel for its actions and inactions. Prime Minister
0:29.8	Benjamin Netanyahu has allowed a basic humanitarian aid to go into the Gaza Strip, but we will hear
0:36.9	how Israel is currently faring on the global stage.
0:40.8	David will also update us on what Netanyahu himself is saying about this new
0:45.7	allowance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, the criticisms of that, and the criticisms
0:52.1	of the criticisms of the criticism. All this and more when we're back.
1:02.0	Tolkien's trilogy was a perfect book to send to a POW. Very well-defined good and evil.
1:14.3	And it was a great escape from the physical environment that we were in.
1:15.9	It's November 16, 1973, and we're at the military section of the Lode Airport.
1:21.3	A red and white, DC-6 passenger plane lands, and out of it comes a stream of young men.
1:27.1	Ten men known collectively as Shvuyay Milchamitatashah, the POWs of the War of Attrition.
1:34.2	All of them had been held, most of the time together, in an Egyptian prison for more than three
1:39.2	and a half years.
1:40.3	So it was very much a kibbutz.
1:43.5	I want to draw your attention to a small, tattered bag, Manachem Eini is holding.
1:48.3	That brown knapsack actually held a treasure.
1:51.3	A manuscript that would make these men in their unlikely story momentarily famous.
1:56.3	It was the fruit of their communal work during the years in which they were held in one of Egypt's
2:00.9	most notorious dungeons. The Hebrew translation of The Hobbit. Check out the Israel Story
	...

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