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.

Britain and 27 Western nations, including Australia, Canada, France, and Italy, said in a joint statement Monday that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza “must end now,” arguing civilians’ suffering has “reached new depths.” The letter comes at a time of continued mass casualty events in the vicinity of aid distribution sites and on the day of expanded military operations in the Strip, in Deir al-Balah. How seriously is Israel taking this harshly worded appeal?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to allow foreign press into the Gaza Strip. His statement came after The Journalists Association for Agence France Presse (AFP) said that its freelancer reporters in the Gaza Strip are at serious risk of starvation, and that “without intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.” Horovitz discusses Israel’s near-total ban on Israeli and foreign press entering Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the ban’s repercussions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party will decide Wednesday on a replacement for MK Yuli Edelstein as head of the powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over his refusal to advance a bill enshrining sweeping military service exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox. We talk about Likud faction chairman Ofir Katz’s unusual announcement that he had decided to “hold elections” for the position and that he was taking nominations from within the party for Edelstein’s replacement.

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

For further reading:

Soldier killed in blast, as IDF pushes into central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah for 1st time

25 Western nations say Gaza war ‘must end now,’ suffering has ‘reached new depths’

Pope urges immediate end to ‘barbarity’ of Gaza war after church damaged

Trump didn’t like seeing reports of Gazans killed while seeking aid — White House

Likud to boot Knesset defense panel head Edelstein for blocking Haredi draft exemption

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: Illustrative: Protesters wave Palestinian flags and a banner reading 'Complicit' as they gather on Westminster Bridge in front of 'Big Ben,' at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, in central London, on June 4, 2025. (Adrian Dennis / AFP)

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Day 655 - 28 nations call for end of Gaza war; Israel unfazed

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