Day 689 - Tanks spotted inside Gaza City ahead of planned op

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 Israeli Air Force on Sunday carried out strikes in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital of Sanaa, reportedly killing at least four people and injuring scores. The strike came shortly after the military said that an IAF investigation into a Friday night ballistic missile attack from Yemen found that, for the first time, the Houthis used a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead. We learn about this warhead and the IAF's strike.

The Israeli army uprooted thousands of olive trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir following a shooting attack in the area last week carried out by a resident, according to Palestinian media. In addition, a three-day curfew was imposed on the village, which was lifted Sunday morning. We discuss the allegation that the IDF is using collective punishment following this attempted shooting and the IDF's response.

While visiting the Haifa naval base yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that “there is a [hostage] deal on the table, we need to take it,” according to Channel 13 news. The report quoted Zamir adding that “the IDF brought about the conditions for a deal, now it is in Netanyahu’s hands. These "hot mic" remarks come ahead of the planned operation to takeover Gaza City, even as Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of the city overnight Saturday and into Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, killing residents. We learn what is happening on the ground.

Late last week, Israeli authorities warned medical facilities and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip to gear up for mass evacuations of civilians as it drove ahead toward a planned military offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City. We hear which hospitals are still functioning in the Strip.

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

For further reading:

IAF strikes Yemen’s capital after Houthis fired cluster bomb missile over the weekend

IDF pushes into Gaza City outskirts ahead of offensive, bolsters troops in Jabalia

Israel tells Gaza City hospitals to ready for mass evacuations as war plans advance

IDF uproots thousands of West Bank olive trees after Palestinian shooting attack

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj.

IMAGE: Troops operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released August 25, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

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