Day 695 - On the ground in Gaza City

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

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4.4 • 864 Ratings

🗓️ 31 August 2025

⏱️ 20 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.

The government's weekly cabinet meeting was held in a secure location on Sunday, Berman notes, after the IDF announced it killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and several other ministers, and the Houthis pledged to retaliate.

Following a Channel 12 report that said three of Israel's top security officials are expected to argue that Israel should cancel its imminent operation to capture Gaza City and accept the phased hostage-ceasefire deal currently on the table, Berman believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ignore them. Instead, he says, Netanyahu will likely continue to demand a comprehensive deal under which all hostages are released at once and the war ends on terms acceptable to Israel, in line with his demands in recent weeks and backing, thus far, from US President Donald Trump.

Berman discusses his interviews on the outskirts of Gaza City with members of the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade, six of whose members are held hostage -- two of them alive and four whose bodies are held.

He also analyzes the prime minister's recent remarks recognizing the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, suggesting it was presumably timed as a way of getting back at Turkey for its aggressive stance and policies against Israel throughout the war.

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

For further reading:

Houthis, IDF confirm group’s prime minister, other top officials killed in Israeli strike

Body of slain hostage Idan Shtivi identified days after recovery from Gaza

‘A wild gamble on hostages’ lives’: Defense chiefs to urge cabinet to eschew Gaza op, take deal

For IDF’s 7th Brigade, return to Gaza City is personal: Six of its crew are held hostage

In first, Netanyahu says he recognizes Armenian genocide

Israeli airlines say they’re still traversing Turkish airspace despite declared closure

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves.

IMAGE: Lt. Col. G., commander of the 77th Armored Battalion, in Zeitoun, Gaza, August 28, 2025 (Lazar Berman/The Times of Israel)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. It is Sunday, August 31st, and I'm Jessica Steinberg.
0:09.3	I'm speaking today with diplomatic correspondent Laser Berman. Hey, Laser, how are you?
0:14.3	Hi, Jessica. Shavua Tov. Shavut to you. It is day 695 of the war.
0:24.4	The government cabinet is holding its weekly meeting in a secure location after Israel acknowledged it assassinated top Houthi officials. Israel's defense chiefs are expected to
0:32.3	present a nearly united front to the security cabinet on Sunday as well, aiming for the acceptance of the current
0:39.1	hostage proposal on the table, the proposal for a ceasefire and hostage-related deal, rather than
0:46.2	going back into Gaza. Meanwhile, the body of slain hostage, Edan Stevie, was recovered from
0:52.7	Gaza by the IDF in Shimbet, as well as the body of
0:56.6	Ilan Weiss.
0:58.0	Edon Steevy was, his body was taken from the Nova Festival in October 7th.
1:03.7	Ilan Weiss was taken from Kibbutzbe Erie.
1:06.6	We'll talk about those headlines, as well as what's happening with Israeli planes in Turkish airspace.
1:12.7	Netanyahu's recognition of the Armenian genocide and Laser's latest reporting from Gaza.
1:18.2	Stay with us.
1:22.7	In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, I speak with Elon Goldenberg, one of the few policymakers
1:28.1	who has shaped U.S. policy on Israel across both the Obama and Biden administrations.
1:33.3	He reflects on the good decisions and the mistakes of the Biden administration during the war,
1:38.7	and he argues that 2026 Israeli elections could be a tipping point for the relationship between Israel and American
1:46.1	jury.
1:47.1	If you get a different government, there is a real opportunity to turn the page.
1:52.5	It's not going to mean American Jews and Israelis, Jews completely align on everything.
1:58.2	Like, if it's like a Bennett-led government, like, you know, you're still going to have challenges, obviously. But, you know, when the people who are playing
	...

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