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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly held a secret meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday night. Horovitz speculates about what may have been on the table. Hegseth's lightning visit comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu as his choice for Israel's next prime minister. Is that such a gift to Bibi?

Jonatan Urich, a current senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a key suspect in the Qatargate scandal, has admitted to investigators that he received “hundreds of thousands of shekels” from Qatar, and that he had no moral qualms working for Doha both before and after the Hamas-led October 7 attack. These revelations were reported by Channel 12 on Monday, citing police interrogation transcripts. Horovitz reviews the saga and delves into the possibility that Qatar followed a time-tested spymaster's handbook and was using Urich as a mole.

Turning to the October 27 election, Benny Gantz, the former IDF chief who was once in line to become prime minister, and whose Blue and White party topped polls in previous elections, announced Monday that the party was withdrawing from the current race. What was the response from supporters and detractors alike -- and could other smaller parties follow?

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

For further reading:

Hegseth reportedly meets Netanyahu during secret visit to Israel

Report: PM’s aide Urich admitted he kept working for Qatar after Oct. 7, saw no moral problem

Blue and White’s Benny Gantz pulls out of race, sealing precipitous political fall

Everything you need to know: ToI’s guide to the 37 parties that Israelis can choose from

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