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.

ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

With the body of hostage Tal Haimi returned to Israel, Horovitz discusses the resilience of and emotional toll on the remaining 15 hostages' families awaiting their loved ones, and whether Hamas is playing games in the slowed process of returning the bodies.

As US Vice President JD Vance arrives in Israel, Horovitz talks about his presence in Israel alongside US special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House advisor Jared Kushner, all part of the overt American role in seeing the ceasefire carried out to its conclusion.

The Knesset's raucous opening session on Monday reveals deep divisions, says Horovitz, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech aimed to frame the conflict as a victory for Israel, alongside the continued battle over the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.

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

For further reading:

Hamas hands over body of hostage Tal Haimi, slain defending his kibbutz on Oct. 7

Vance lands in Israel as US said to fear Netanyahu could collapse Gaza ceasefire

Smiles, hugs abound as Witkoff and Kushner meet with released hostages

Ohana snubs Supreme Court president at Knesset’s opening session, sparking turmoil

‘War of Revival’: Cabinet approves Netanyahu’s controversial renaming of Gaza war

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

 IMAGE: Vice President J.D. Vance, right, and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

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.
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/david-horovitz/">ToI founding editor David Horovitz</a> joins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/">host Jessica Steinberg</a>&nbsp;for today's episode.
With the body of hostage Tal Haimi returned to Israel, Horovitz discusses the resilience of and emotional toll on the remaining 15 hostages' families awaiting their loved ones, and whether Hamas is playing games in the slowed process of returning the bodies.
As US Vice President JD Vance arrives in Israel, Horovitz talks about his presence in Israel alongside US special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House advisor Jared Kushner, all part of the overt American role in seeing the ceasefire carried out to its conclusion.
The Knesset's raucous opening session on Monday reveals deep divisions, says Horovitz, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech aimed to frame the conflict as a victory for Israel, alongside the continued battle over the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-21-2025/">Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.</a>
For further reading:
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-hands-over-casket-with-apparent-remains-of-hostage-after-gaza-truce-tested/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=vance-lands-in-israel-as-us-said-to-fear-netanyahu-could-collapse-gaza-ceasefire">Hamas hands over body of hostage Tal Haimi, slain defending his kibbutz on Oct. 7</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/vance-lands-in-israel-as-us-said-to-fear-netanyahu-could-collapse-gaza-ceasefire/">Vance lands in Israel as US said to fear Netanyahu could collapse Gaza ceasefire</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/smiles-hugs-abound-as-witkoff-and-kushner-meet-with-released-hostages/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site">Smiles, hugs abound as Witkoff and Kushner meet with released hostages</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/ohana-snubs-supreme-court-president-at-knessets-opening-session-sparking-turmoil/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=smiles-hugs-abound-as-witkoff-and-kushner-meet-with-released-hostages">Ohana snubs Supreme Court president at Knesset&rsquo;s opening session, sparking turmoil</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/war-of-revival-cabinet-approves-netanyahus-controversial-renaming-of-gaza-war/">&lsquo;War of Revival&rsquo;: Cabinet approves Netanyahu&rsquo;s controversial renaming of Gaza war</a>
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042"> Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89">YouTube,</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Pod-Waves.
&nbsp;IMAGE: Vice President J.D. Vance, right, and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what’s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what&rsquo;s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.

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