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 on today's episode.

The United States, France, and some of their allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah while also expressing support for a truce in Gaza, according to a joint statement of the countries released by the White House Wednesday following an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon. We begin by speaking about the apparent IDF achievements of the stepped-up airstrikes over the past week and then turn to the truce proposal and reactions to it.

Alongside the massacre of 1,200 and abduction of 251 hostages on October 7, Hamas head Yihya Sinwar attempted to launch a regional war. As such a war appears increasingly realistic, Borschel-Dan asks Horovitz if Israel is playing into Sinwar's hands.

We end today's episode by discussing this past year of journalism and how complicated responsible reporting is in this region. Horovitz explains some of the challenges facing news outlets and how some respected news sources are not rising to them.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

A fateful, devastating year; a little about ToI’s work; a thank you to ToI Community

US, France lead joint call for immediate 21-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah

Drone from Iraq hits Eilat port, causing damage and lightly injuring two

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: Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a meeting of the Security Council, September 25, 2024, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)