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.

It is day 208 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Sam Sokol and Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

Sokol discusses reactions from coalition and opposition politicians over the proposed hostage deal, including Wednesday morning’s comment from Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock who called it a “terrible” deal.

Sokol talks about the factors motivating both sides of the political spectrum during the ongoing war.

Wrobel describes the market’s reaction to the deal under negotiation, with a rise in the shekel and slight gains in shares, although there is a negative outlook from Standard and Poor’s because of increased war spending and concerns over an escalation in the north.

She also speaks about US gaming giant Nvidia, which is looking at a billion-dollar deal to purchase two Israeli startups, showing its faith in Israeli technology and a vote of confidence in local talent.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Far-right minister claims hostage deal throws war goals in ‘trash’ to save hostages

Smotrich threatens to quit gov’t over hostage deal; Eisenkot slams far-right ‘blackmail’

Israeli shares rise and shekel gains as investors watch truce, hostage deal efforts

US chip giant Nvidia snaps up Israeli AI workload management startup

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas’s onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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