Day 742 - Trump raises alarm about public executions in Gaza
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2025
⏱️ 27 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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
The US doesn't believe Hamas is dragging its feet in finding the remaining hostage bodies, says Magid, and believes it will take time, and perhaps the help of other countries. The Trump administration is determined to reach phase two of the ceasefire, including demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and moving into the next stages of rebuilding Gaza, but Israel is nervous to begin that process without completing the hostage phase of the deal.
The public executions in Gaza have raised alarm and prompted a shift in US rhetoric, according to Magid. At first, US President Donald Trump appeared to greenlight what he considered to be the warfare between Hamas and Gazan gangs or clans, likening them to situations in the US, but then said if the Hamas executions of these clans continue, he will allow Israel to go after them.
Magid also examines the efforts to move into phase two of the ceasefire deal by diplomats involved in the process. They are the ones who initially recognized that it made sense to split the ceasefire deal in two and deal with the hostages first. Now, however, Hamas is the only dominant power in Gaza, and the longer the delay in establishing governance, the stronger Hamas's position becomes.
Diplomats stress the urgency of providing services to Palestinians to reduce reliance on Hamas, says Magid. He discusses the efforts to put together a list of technocrats to run Gaza, and that each participating stakeholder wants good ties with the governing body.
US denies Hamas violating deal, is aiming to set up safe zone for Gazans fleeing group
Trump: If Hamas doesn’t stop killing Gazans, ‘we will have no choice but to go in and kill them’
Slowed establishment of postwar Gaza government fuels Hamas revival, diplomats warn
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
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IMAGE: Hossam al-Astal (center) is seen surrounded by armed members of his group, 'Strike Force Against Terror,' in an undated picture from the Gaza Strip posted on Facebook. (Courtesy: Hossam al-Astal via Facebook)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. It is Friday, October 17th, and I'm Jessica Steinberg. I'm speaking today with U.S. Bureau Chief Jacob Magid. How are you doing, Jacob? |
| 0:13.5 | Hi, Jessica. Good to be with you again. Good to be with you as well. It is day 742 of the war. As families held funerals for the hostage bodies returned to Israel, |
| 0:24.9 | Hamas claimed it is working hard to hand over all of the captives remains |
| 0:29.5 | and claimed in the latest headline that it needed equipment to clear the rubble. |
| 0:34.3 | We'll talk about what is happening in this stage of the ceasefire. U.S. statements, |
| 0:39.8 | U.S. President Trump, and his comments, as well as the public executions that have been |
| 0:45.9 | carried out by the terrorist group inside the Gaza Strip. We'll also talk about what is happening |
| 0:52.0 | with the governance in Gaza after the war is over. |
| 0:57.3 | Stay with us. |
| 1:03.3 | What does it mean for countries to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN? |
| 1:08.8 | What really makes a state? |
| 1:11.9 | And why does this issue provoke such outrage from some and hope from others? |
| 1:17.8 | On unpacking Israeli history, host Noam Weisman explores these questions in a special |
| 1:23.8 | series on Palestinian statehood, with voices from across the spectrum, Samir Siniglawi, Michael Koppelau, Ahmed Fuad al-Katib |
| 1:32.5 | and Enat Wilf, he traces the story from the British mandate to Oslo through the Intifada's |
| 1:39.1 | October 7th and beyond. |
| 1:41.7 | It's a deep dive into history, leadership, and the choices that still shape the |
| 1:46.3 | conflict today. Search for unpacking Israeli history, wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, so Jacob, let's first tackle. Is Hamas violating its deal? The U.S. says no. You have a very involved |
| 2:13.6 | piece with a lot of commentary from different sources. Tell us what you're hearing. |
| 2:20.0 | And let's first start with like what, there's the denial, but why? In other words, what is the |
| 2:25.8 | overall comment that you're getting here? Sure. So so far, Hamas has returned nine bodies of hostages. They actually returned a tenth, but it ended up |
| 2:38.1 | being a body of a Palestinian from the West Bank who was reportedly helping the IDF in scanning |
... |
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