Day 285 - Hamas is forced to surface as Gaza tunnels destroyed

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. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. The Israel Defense Forces is increasingly convinced that Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, was killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. We hear what additional information has been released about the strike. Over the past day, more than 25 targets were struck by Israeli fighter jets and other aircraft in the Gaza Strip, the IDF says. Fabian notes an uptick in strikes on schools as Hamas is increasing leaving the tunnels and embedding itself with civilians. Where does this leave the Hamas hostages? Around 100 Hezbollah rockets targeted several different areas of northern Israel in four separate waves on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, as the Israel Defense Forces responded with strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. We hear that while this barrage isn't unprecedented in number,  the impetus behind the rocket fire is less clear than in previous large volleys. Yesterday, the IDFs announced it will begin to send out initial draft orders to members of the Haredi community on Sunday. What is the expected procedure and how long will it take to see more ultra-Orthodox soldiers in uniform? The Finance Ministry has warned that enlisting working ultra-Orthodox men into the army will damage efforts to integrate this group of the population into the labor market. Wrobel explains what else we are hearing out of the Finance Ministry. Many aspects of Israel’s cost of living have just been going up during this war. We focus on housing prices. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Google is nearing a record-breaking deal to purchase Israeli-founded cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion. How sure are we this deal will go through and what does it mean for Israel? For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF increasingly certain Deif died in strike, says Hamas fighters in ‘survival mode’ 100 rockets target northern Israel as IDF strikes in Lebanon said to kill 5 Syrians IDF says it will begin drafting ultra-Orthodox from Sunday; protesters block road Finance Ministry warns enlisting Haredim to IDF will damage efforts to integrate them into workforce Inflation edges higher, bolstered by uptick in housing prices Google said nearing record-breaking $23 billion buy of Israeli-founded cyber startup Could Google’s $23b bid for Israel-founded cyber unicorn boost local tech outlook? 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: Israel Defense Forces operate in Gaza, July 17, 2024, in this handout image. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.