Day 639 - Hamas isn't budging. So why the optimism for a deal?
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 July 2025
⏱️ 18 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.
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
We record today's episode hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take off on Wing of Zion for a whirlwind few days of meetings in Washington, DC. Berman, who is joining the prime minister, updates us on what we know about the ceasefire/ hostage release negotiations right now: An Israeli negotiating team was set to travel to Qatar Sunday for indirect talks with the Hamas terror group, as mediators bear down on the sides amid intensifying efforts to clinch an agreement. There are still a lot of wrinkles to iron out. Berman weighs in.
The premier’s spokesman Omer Dostri announced he is stepping down just ahead of the DC trip. “The decision to terminate his employment was made in coordination between the prime minister, his chief of staff, and Dostri,” says the PMO. Berman offers a competing narrative.
Early Saturday, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reported that two American aid workers were wounded when assailants threw two hand grenades at a distribution site in southern Gaza, blaming the attack on “hostile action by Hamas.” Berman discusses other recent Hamas attacks on aid in the Strip and how international humanitarian organizations still prefer to ramp up their efforts rather than cooperate with the GHF.
The head of a militia operating in an area of Gaza under Israeli military control, Yasser Abu Shabab, gave an interview to the Israeli public broadcaster’s Arabic-language radio station Makan, in which he confirmed for the first time that his forces are cooperating at some level with the IDF. Could this be a viable option elsewhere?
Iranian ballistic missiles struck five Israeli military bases during the 12-day war with last month, The Telegraph reported on Saturday for the first time, citing satellite data shared by Oregon State University. We hear which bases The Telegraph pointed to and their significance.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Israel sends team to Qatar for hostage talks, but deems Hamas demands ‘unacceptable’
Netanyahu, US blame Hamas for grenade attack on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation workers
PM fires spokesman on eve of US trip; reportedly amid spats with Sara Netanyahu
Report: Iranian ballistic missiles struck five IDF bases during war
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IMAGE: Illustrative: Palestinian terrorist groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas arrive near the family home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar before handing over Israeli and Thai hostage to a Red Cross team in Khan Yunis on January 30, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:08.0 | Today is Sunday, July 6th, day 6th, day 639 of the war. |
| 0:13.0 | Amanda Borchelle Dan here with our diplomatic reporter, Laser Bearman. |
| 0:16.3 | Laser, thanks so much for joining me just as you're heading out to the airport. |
| 0:20.5 | Good morning. |
| 0:21.7 | Shavua Tov. |
| 0:22.5 | Yep, after this, I'm just finishing my packing up and then I'm going to head to the airport for a flight to Washington, D.C. with Prime Minister Netanyahu. |
| 0:29.5 | Our third since Trump returned to office, so this is becoming quite a pattern. |
| 0:34.5 | Right. |
| 0:34.8 | And optimism is still really high that Hamas and Israel are on the |
| 0:39.1 | brink of a ceasefire slash hostage-release deal. As you're about to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu |
| 0:45.2 | on wings of Zion, or is it wing of Zion? One wing or two wings, Leisure? |
| 0:50.0 | Wing. It's got two wings, but it's referred to as Wing of Zion. |
| 0:59.5 | Okay, as Laser is about to join our Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wing of Zion, |
| 1:04.3 | which is setting out in the afternoon for a couple days in Washington, D.C. We are going to update now on how negotiations are standing and delve into what is happening in Gaza in the meantime. |
| 1:12.5 | We're also going to hear more reports about how five IDF bases were damaged in Israel from |
| 1:18.6 | Iranian ballistic missiles. So all of this and more when we're back. |
| 1:36.0 | And And we're back. I'm Amarcel Dan here with our diplomatic reporter, Laser Bearman. |
| 1:41.4 | Laser, as noted, I'm catching you literally with one foot out of the door on the way to the airport. |
| 1:44.2 | So again, thanks for taking the time to speak with me. |
| 1:50.0 | Let's start with what we know about the ceasefire hostage release negotiations right now. And it seems despite all the optimism, there is still a lot to be ironed out. But it was |
| 1:56.7 | you as President Donald Trump's personal word. It appears to me, the word that Israel won't restart the war during the negotiations that brought us to this, shall we say, a more promising state. Do you think it was the word of President Donald Trump that brought us here today? |
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