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.
An Israel Defense Forces reservist officer was seriously wounded by gunfire from Palestinian operatives in the northern Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday. The IDF responded with a series of strikes on Gaza that Palestinian media said killed at least 20 people. Horovitz weighs in on the move to Phase 2 of the Trump-brokered ceasefire -- without the demilitarization of Hamas.
We also learn of the Palestinian Authority's current involvement in the Rafah Border Crossing and a kerfuffle over a logo that may indicate that ties between the PA and the council of Gazans set to rule the Strip may be tighter than anticipated.
A US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, in an incident that, Horovitz suggests, shows Iran's confidence level ahead of nuclear talks set for Friday. We hear about Israel's four conditions for a "good" deal with Iran as US President Donald Trump appears to prefer dimplomacy -- for now.
And finally, Israel's dairy farmers are protesting today in Jerusalem as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's "reforms" seek to disband the centralized coordination mechanism that has characterized the dairy industry since the state’s founding. Hear why more dairy imports may not be the right answer.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Reservist seriously wounded in north Gaza ambush; 20 said killed as IDF strikes back
12 people let into Gaza from Egypt, of 42 who tried, on day 1 of Rafah opening – report
3 women returning to Gaza through Rafah say IDF bound, interrogated, threatened them
Gaza technocratic committee replaces its logo with the PA’s; Israel fumes
US downs Iranian drone flying toward aircraft carrier; PM to Witkoff: Iran can’t be trusted
Shoppers face empty milk shelves as dairy farmers ramp up fight against proposed reform
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IMAGE: The northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, February 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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