Day 745 - Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Israel to keep ceasefire going

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.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and fellow advisor Jared Kushner arrive in Israel, Berman discusses that Israel has fulfilled its first steps in the ceasefire involving Palestinian prisoners and the 'Yellow Line' to which the IDF has withdrawn in the Gaza Strip, but that Hamas has not kept its part of the bargain, with the remaining 16 hostages' bodies still held in Gaza, and the Hamas attack in Gaza Sunday that killed two soldiers.

Witkoff and Kushner will meet with Israel's high-ranking officials and cabinet, says Berman, as two US advisors aim to safeguard the tenuous ceasefire that is one week old.

The two US advisors appeared on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, discusses Frieberg, unveiling details of the process and the steps that led to the announcement of the first stage of the ceasefire deal, and aspects of the more personal conversations with Hamas officials that helped push things forward.

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

For further reading:

Hamas isn’t acting like a defeated force, which puts the entire Gaza ceasefire at risk

Netanyahu denies Trump forced truce on him, says war ends ‘for good’ when Hamas disarmed

Hamas says it returned 2 more bodies of hostages; remains taken to forensic lab for ID

Israel says resuming Gaza ceasefire after deadly attack on troops led to massive strikes

Kushner: Israel must improve Palestinians’ lives if it wants ‘integration’ into region

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IMAGE: A billboard shows images of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US President Donald Trump, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)

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