Intro

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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to examine Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon to see whether those branches should be designated as terror organizations, Magid discusses that other countries were not included, including Turkey and Qatar, which have close ties to the US.

The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is wrapping up five months of operations in Gaza, saying that its model is being adopted by the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, while Magid notes that it appears the original UN-backed model is back in place in Gaza.

The US is trying to get construction efforts underway in Gaza, on the Israeli side of the yellow ceasefire line, with efforts to first clear rubble from the Rafah area to build alternative safe communities. Magid discusses the pushback from Israel's government coalition, which is concerned with the issue of Hamas disarmament, while it's also unclear if Gazans would want to live under Israeli control.

Magid also talks about the revelation that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a private meeting in July with Jonathan Pollard, the former US Navy analyst who served 30 years in a US prison for spying for Israel. Magid says there is widespread anger in the US administration regarding the meeting and the ongoing alignment of the US with Israel.

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

For further reading:

Trump launches process aimed at potentially sanctioning Muslim Brotherhood

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announces end of operations in Strip after 5 months

Construction of first US-backed housing compound said to begin this week in Rafah

Pollard: Anti-Israel elements in US administration leaked my Huckabee meeting to get him fired

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: Turkish charities, in partnership with Khan Yunis municipal bulldozers, remove the rubble from Palestinian homes and streets in the northern area of ​​Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on October 23, 2025 (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/FLASH90)

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