Deadly Iranian strike changes Purim for Haredi enclave in Beit Shemesh

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

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🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 40 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.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol and police reporter Charlie Summers join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Following the deadly strike on Sunday that killed nine people in Beit Shemesh, Sokol and Summers discuss the shock and mourning in the centrally located city with a strong Haredi enclave.

Purim celebrations and revelry continued in some parts of Beit Shemesh, report the pair, as some synagogues flouted the Home Front Command directives regarding gatherings, while others reflected a somber, cautious mood.

Sokol takes a moment to update us on matters in the Knesset, where most committee meetings were canceled due to the hostilities, and speculates on whether war with Iran will boost Netanyahu at the ballot box in the upcoming elections.

Finally, Summers reports on an end-of-Purim street party in Jerusalem, where police kept a hands-off approach, and the scene of a missile strike in the capital earlier in the week.

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

For further reading:

9 killed as Iranian missile destroys synagogue, smashes bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh

‘Everything is gone’: Deadly Iranian strike on Beit Shemesh leaves residents reeling

After deadly missile impact, Beit Shemesh struggles to maintain Purim cheer

Will the war with Iran boost Netanyahu’s prospects at the ballot box?

Israeli opposition leaders rally behind government as Israel and US strike Iran

Flouting wartime restrictions, revelers party in Jerusalem streets for Purim’s final hours

Three wounded in Iranian missile strike on highway outside Jerusalem

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

IMAGE: Ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak amid the war with Iran and ongoing missile fire toward Israel, March 3, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. It is Thursday, March 5th, and I'm Jessica Steinberg. I'm speaking today with political correspondent Sam Sokol and reporter Charlie Summers joining us for the first time for the daily briefing. Hey, Charlie, hey Sam.
0:19.1	Good morning. Good to be here. Good to be together
0:22.3	amidst all of what is going on in our world over here in this corner. So just to give some
0:28.4	headlines of the last few hours, after another night and early morning of both Chazbalah and
0:35.4	Iranian missile and drone attacks, The IDF, the Israel
0:38.9	Defense Forces, reiterated its warning to Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon to evacuate their
0:45.3	homes amid fighting against Chazbalah. The first repatriation flights for Israelis stranded abroad
0:52.5	amid the war with Iran landed at Bangorian Airport
0:56.0	early this morning. There are others set to arrive later in the day in order to help the estimated
1:01.8	100,000 Israelis unable to return home since Israel shuttered its airspace on Saturday.
1:08.2	Today on the Daily briefing, we're going to talk about what happened
1:11.0	with the Iranian missile attack in Beechemesh. Also, some of the incidents that have taken
1:18.1	place in Jerusalem. So stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Jewish Communal Fund, the preferred donor-advised
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