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 joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reports that the US has transferred a second THAAD battery to Israel amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. The battery was apparently delivered yesterday.
We hear what the THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, is an advanced anti-missile system, has recently been used for.

Yesterday, Hamas released a propaganda video that shows hostages Bar Kupershtein and Maxim Herkin, in the first sign of life from both of them since they were abducted by terrorists on October 7, 2023. We hear the broad-strokes contents of the video.

The Israel Defense Forces has detailed the initial findings from its investigation into the killing of 14 rescue workers in southern Gaza’s Rafah on March 23, when soldiers opened fire on a convoy of ambulances after mistakenly identifying it as a threat and buried their bodies. The military said it identified six medics as Hamas operatives. Fabian explains the findings and highlights still unanswered questions.

The IDF released footage from the entry of the 36th Division into the so-called Morag Corridor, located between southern Gaza’s Rafah and Khan Younis, last week. It marks the first time since the beginning of the war that ground troops are operating in the area. On Thursday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters that the IDF has entered a “new phase” in its fighting. What is this new phase that Defrin is referring to?

Hassan Farhat, who had headed Hamas’s forces in the western sector of Lebanon, was killed in an airstrike on an apartment building in Sidon. Likewise, the IDF and Shin Bet on Friday said a terror operative who oversaw the kidnapping and likely was also involved in the murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza. We learn about these two Hamas terrorists and Fabian connects the Sidon strike to an earlier strike on a Hezbollah operative in Beirut.

Please see today's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US said to transfer 2nd THAAD missile battery to Israel as Iran nuclear tensions rise

Hamas hostage video shows Maxim Herkin and Bar Kupershtein, in first signs of life

IDF shares initial details from Gaza ambulance probe, says troops told UN of burial site

Gazans flee expanding strikes in north, south as IDF says fighting entering ‘new stage’

Hamas says it won’t move hostages to safety, Israel responsible for their lives

IDF widens ground operation in northern Gaza, kills top Hamas official in Lebanon

IDF says it killed terrorist who led Bibas abduction, was likely involved in their murders

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: Bodies of Palestinian first responders who were killed March 23, 2025, in Israeli military fire on ambulances lie at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2025. (AFP)

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