Day 269 - Hamas recruits new gunmen in Gaza as IDF op continues

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 reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asserted during a visit to southern Gaza’s Rafah on Sunday that Hamas is unable to recover from the pressure applied by Israeli operations and, choked off from its weapons supply, is a broken force running out of time. At the same time, we’re seeing a large rocket barrage and other fighting on the ground. Fabian weighs in. The director of Shifa Hospital, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, who was arrested by IDF troops in November on suspicion of allowing the hospital to be used by Hamas as an operations center, was released. Fabian delves into some potential reasons why and the backlash to Abu Salmiya's release. Eighteen Israeli soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel on Sunday. We learn about this attack and discuss the asymmetrical nature of the fighting in the north and the lack of clear goals. An Israeli drone strike on Sunday killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and wounded five in the Nur Shams camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Fabian explains the significance of this commander. For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Gallant: IDF’s Rafah campaign choking Hamas by blocking crossing, destroying tunnels IDF says at least 40 Hamas operatives killed as it advances in Gaza’s Shejaiya 18 troops hurt, one seriously, in Hezbollah drone strike in north Islamic Jihad commander killed, 5 hurt in Israeli drone strike in Tulkarem THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.  IMAGE: The Israel Defense Forces operate in Gaza, in a handout photo published June 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.