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.

It is day 211 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

After a day filled with a flurry of optimistic headlines surrounding the proposed hostage release deal, Taher Nunu, a Hamas official and advisor to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said meetings in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators have begun and Hamas is dealing with their proposals “with full seriousness and responsibility.” However, he reiterated the terror group’s demand that any deal should include an Israeli pullout from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions that Israel has previously rejected. With no real movement on either side, why the media storm?

Qatar is prepared to accept a request from the US for it to expel Hamas’s leaders from Doha and is anticipating one could be made soon, a source familiar with the matter told Magid. If expelled, to where is the terror organization expected to relocate?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a DC event that whatever one thinks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the current government, “what’s important to understand is that much of what he’s doing is not simply a reflection of his politics or his policies; it’s actually a reflection of where a large majority of Israelis are in this moment.” We discuss how this stance is starkly different than previous takes by the Biden administration.

Magid reported onsite from anti-Israel protests at several Chicago area high schools and universities this week. We hear what shocked him.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Hamas indicates it may agree to deal; Israeli official insists truce won’t end the war

Qatar anticipating US request to expel Hamas leaders, is open to doing so — source

Blinken says Netanyahu’s handling of war reflects views of ‘a large majority of Israelis’

Gaza campus protests spread to Chicago high schools, alarming Jewish students

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. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 

IMAGE: Campus police stand between demonstrators at a pro-Palestinian, abti-Israel encampment on the campus of the University of Chicago and counter demonstrators after a brief skirmish between the groups on May 3, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP)