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The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Day 773 - IDF head readies military to retake Hamas-controlled Gaza

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

News

4.51.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 23 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.

Hamas has begun amassing advanced weapons and stockpiling them abroad in hopes of smuggling them into Gaza in the future, according to a report on Sunday on KAN television. Fabian brings in background pointing to the likelihood of the report's veracity. We then hear about what is happening on the ground in Gaza, get an update on the Hamas gunmen trapped in tunnels in the Israeli-held area, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's warning that he is readying the military to retake parts of Hamas-controlled Gaza if the 20-point peace plan doesn't move into phase two -- the demilitarization of the terror group.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reported that the Israeli military fired on its observers from an IDF post inside southern Lebanon yesterday morning, with the military later saying the incident was a result of “misidentification” and that soldiers did not deliberately fire on UN troops. Fabian gives a litany of other near misses between the IDF and UNIFIL and speaks about the IDF's continued strikes on Hezbollah operatives throughout southern Lebanon.

Some 50 members of a Hamas network in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank were detained in a series of recent operations. According to the Shin Bet, the suspects’ interrogations revealed that the leaders of the Hamas network recruited and set up terror cells, procured weapons and planned to carry out shootings against Israeli security forces and civilians. We ask Fabian whether he believes IDF operations similar to the evacuations and demolitions in the northern West Bank will be launched.

Four residents of East Jerusalem’s Beit Safafa neighborhood have been arrested and will be charged with affiliation to the Islamic State and planning attacks against Jewish Israelis as part of a “great war of the end of days,”  the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police announced Friday. Fabian reminds listeners that there is precedent in Israel of the extreme ideology taking root in Palestinian and Arab Israeli communities.

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

For further reading:

Amid talk of its disarmament, Hamas said stockpiling advanced weapons abroad

UNIFIL troops in Lebanon come under fire from IDF, which says it ‘misidentified’ them

Hezbollah operative killed in strike on car near Tyre — IDF

Israel detains 50 members of Hamas network in West Bank said to be planning attacks

4 East Jerusalem Palestinians held for Islamic State ties, prepping for ‘end of days’ war

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple PodcastsSpotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued on November 1, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today is Monday, November 17th, day 773 of the war.

0:11.7

Amanda Borchelle Dan here with our military correspondent, Emmanuel Fabian. Hi, Manny. Thanks for

0:16.4

joining me today. Hi, Amanda. Good morning. As the United Nations Security Council is set today to vote

0:23.7

on a resolution to bring in an international stabilization force to the Gaza Strip,

0:29.7

Hamas is reportedly stockpiling weapons abroad. The IDF strikes against Hezbollah continue and will hear what has happened in the past few days as the Air Force marks targets deeper into Lebanon.

0:43.9

We'll learn about an operation that saw 50 Hamas members arrested near a little town of Bethlehem and a quartet of East Jerusalemites who were preparing for an end-of-day's mission for ISIS.

0:56.6

All of this and more when we're back.

1:03.7

This episode is brought to you by the Jewish Communal Fund,

1:07.7

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1:49.8

I'm Amidaborsal, here with our military correspondent Immanuel Fabian.

2:07.4

The funeral of many Goddard, whose body was returned last week, is taking place today.

2:12.8

Goddard 73 was murdered by Palestinian Islamic jihad terrorists in Kibbutz Be'ri on October 7,

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