Day 724 - Gaza City nearly encircled as IDF deepens operations
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 September 2025
⏱️ 25 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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
We begin the program with an update on the car-ramming attack on Sunday in the West Bank that took the life of Staff Sgt. Inbar Avraham Kav, 20, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion.
Turning to Gaza, we speak about how the IDF is operating in the Strip by land, air and sea: The Israeli Air Force struck some 140 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past day, the Navy shelled a weapons depot and other buildings Hamas operatives were using in the Strip’s north, and ground troops from three IDF divisions continue to push into Gaza City.
Hamas claimed Sunday that it had lost contact with two hostages during Israeli operations in a pair of Gaza City neighborhoods. Fabian weighs the claims and gives more background information.
A ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel overnight Sunday was intercepted by air defenses. This comes after what Fabian calls the most intensive strike in Yemen yet.
Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered Saturday at the tomb of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah to commemorate one year since his assassination by an Israeli airstrike. Fabian assesses the changes in Israel's operations in Lebanon over the past year.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF soldier killed by gunfire during car-ramming in northern West Bank
IDF says 780,000 have fled Gaza City; Hamas says dozens killed in unrelenting strikes
Hamas says it has lost contact with two hostages amid IDF push into Gaza City
IDF intercepts Yemen ballistic missile; Houthis say it had cluster bomb warhead
Drones circle overhead as thousands in Beirut mark anniversary of Hezbollah’s chief’s death
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IMAGE: IDF's Givati Brigade operates in Gaza City in this September 29, 2025, handout photo. (IDF)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. Today is Monday, September 29th, Day 724 of the war. |
| 0:11.9 | Amanda Borschelle Dan here with our military correspondent, Emmanuel Fabian. Hi, Manny. Thanks for |
| 0:16.4 | joining me. Hi, Amanda. Good to see you. All Israeli eyes are on Washington, D.C. today as Prime Minister Benjamin Nanyahu meets |
| 0:24.7 | with U.S. President Donald Trump to potentially take steps towards ending the war in Gaza. |
| 0:30.9 | We are going to learn all about the D.C. meetup in tomorrow's episode. |
| 0:35.3 | But in the meantime, the IDF said today that Air Force, Navy, and |
| 0:39.3 | ground forces are all in action as troops push deeper into Gaza City. So Manny is going to fill us in |
| 0:46.5 | on what is happening in the ground air and sea around Gaza. In the second half of the program, |
| 0:52.0 | we will take a moment to assess the Lebanon front a year after the assassination of former Hezbollah Head, Hassan Nasrallah. |
| 1:00.6 | All this and more when we're back. |
| 1:17.0 | If you're listening to this podcast, you just might be a person who wants to help Israelis in need for Russia Shana. |
| 1:21.1 | I'm Naomi Brownstein, co-founder and voluntary co-chair of TenGov. |
| 1:26.4 | What makes TenGov unique is that every request we receive comes from trusted professionals, |
| 1:28.5 | social workers in municipal welfare departments, and field workers from grassroots organizations across Israel. Since last Rochesana, |
| 1:34.2 | we've delivered $1.9 million in assistance to over 6,000 vulnerable Israelis. We've helped |
| 1:40.3 | reservist families with emergency financial grants. We've sent several thousand children to day camps in the pool this summer, |
| 1:46.6 | and we've made it possible for displaced families to return home with dignity |
| 1:50.7 | by providing beds, electrical appliances, and other basics. |
| 1:54.9 | But our work isn't done. |
| 1:56.6 | More families are waiting for assistance, evacuees, reservists, |
| 2:00.5 | and parents doing their best to hold it all together. |
| 2:03.0 | As you think about how best to give for Rosh Hashanah, give where it matters most. |
... |
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