The President's Daily Brief - August 7th, 2025: Israel's 3 Step Plan To Crush Hamas Forever & Putin Says Ukraine Airstrikes Could End

Episode Date: August 7, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a full occupation of Gaza—but the plan is dividing Israel’s leadership. Meanwhile, a retired IDF general says victory is possible in 100 days, if Israel follows a bold, controversial path.   Russian President Vladimir Putin may be ready to halt airstrikes on Ukraine in an attempt to avoid new U.S. sanctions as President Trump’s deadline looms.   As peace talks stall, Trump is reportedly preparing for the U.S. to “take over” the Gaza aid effort—signaling a major shift in Washington’s approach.   And in today’s Back of the Brief: New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America faction is under fire for backing a radical pro–North Korea rally that featured chants of “Death to imperialism.”   To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text PDB to 64000. Message and data rates apply. TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb & get 2 Free Flat Iron steaks True Classic: Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/PDB #trueclassicpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Looking to diversify and protect your hardened assets, well, schedule a free consultation call with the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metals specialists. Just text PDB to the number 989-89-89-8 and you'll receive a free no-obligation information kit. And you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, it's simple. Just text PDB to the number 989-89-89. It's Thursday, the 7th of August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed. First up, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza is dividing Israel's leadership.

But one former IDF general says victory is just 100 days away if Israel follows three controversial steps. Oh, well, that sounds easy. We'll look at the details. Later in the show, could Trump's pressure be working? Well, that's the question to ask. Reports say that Putin, Vladimir, of course, is because of the question. considering a pause on air attacks in Ukraine to avoid new U.S. sanctions. Then again, Putin has said a lot of things when it comes to considering a ceasefire. But so far, well, it's all been just words.

Plus, with ceasefire talks stuck in the Middle East, President Trump is pushing the U.S. to take over humanitarian aid in Gaza, whether Israel likes it or not. And in today's back of the brief, New York City, mayoral frontrunner, Zovron Mundani's Democratic Social Socialist. of America, yeah, that's a thing. They backed a radical pro-North Korea rally, complete with chance of death to imperialism.

Well, that does, frankly, sound like something that the Democratic Socialists of America would chant, so I guess no surprise is there. I don't know. Seems to me that if the voters of New York City want to give failed socialist ideas and policies a try, well, why stop them? But first, today's PDB spotlight.

Today we're starting with a closer look at what may soon become Israel's final play in Gaza. It's a full military occupation of the strip by IDF forces. Now, earlier this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a three-hour meeting with several of his top military commanders, including IDF chief of staff, Ayal Zemir. Now, the meeting preceded a full security cabinet session scheduled for today, where the path forward in Gaza is expected, of course, to be hotly debated. Some of Netanyahu's ministers are pushing hard for a full reoccupation of the strip, especially those on his political right.

But members of Israel's military leadership have pushed back, warning that such a move could put the remaining hostages at risk, overstretch already exhausted ground forces, and saddle the IDF with the burden of governing Gaza. However, according to at least one former senior IDF official, the Gaza war can be won, and fairly quickly. In an interview with Israeli media, retired Brigadier General Arez Weiner, who once headed the operational planning team in the IDF Southern Command, explained that he believes the campaign can be brought to a decisive end within 100 days, as long as Israel follows a number of key principles. Now, this isn't some back-of-the-napkin theory. It's rooted in operational experience and was previously reviewed and reportedly approved by the current IDF chief of staff when he was in,

command of the Southern Front. So what exactly is this plan? Winer lays out three principles for victory, so let's take a look at each of them. The first principle is the total control of humanitarian aid. Now, Winer argues that Israel must seize full control over the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, not partial control, not coordination with the UN, but complete control. Of course, this is something that Israel is already attempting to do through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or the GHF, and Weiner says that the limited success the GHF has seen in the South proves this is both possible and effective. But full control comes with its own set of problems, of course.

As we've seen, when Israel manages the flow of aid, it also inherits the blame for the humanitarian conditions on the ground. That means every delay, every shortage or civilian hardship becomes the ammunition for Hamas' propaganda war, and they have made effective use of it. accusing Israel of genocide and using civilian suffering to galvanize international outrage. Still, from a military perspective, control over aid isn't just about logistics, it's about leverage. If Israel controls the flow of food, medicine, and fuel, it can better put pressure on Hamas operatives hiding among civilians, cut off supply lines and incentivize cooperation from non-combatten populations.

Plus, of course, it takes away a key source of revenue from Hamas. But that only works if the humanitarian system is credible, coordinated, and doesn't backfire diplomatically. So far, Israel hasn't been able to meet that standard, at least not in a way that neutralizes global criticism or propaganda. The second principle is the separation of civilians from terrorists. Now, in short, this would focus on physically and administratively separating Gaza's civilian population from Hamas operatives. Under the plan, Israel would support the creation of temporary civilian camps for displaced Ghazans, who have been cleared of ties to the terror group. But this kind of separation can't be imposed by force alone. It would require active participation

from the Ghazan population. Winer argues that many civilians are already seeking alternatives to Hamas, and that local governance could emerge from within. That's where the clans come in. Now, Winer points to the emergence of clan-based governance in parts of the strip. Groups currently cooperating, with Israel to govern tens of thousands of people independently from Hamas. We've talked about this before on the PDB. Certain influential clans in southern Gaza, like the one led by Yasser Abu Shab, have stepped into the vacuum left by Hamas' retreat, taking responsibility for food distribution and local security and basic services.

These clans have long-standing rivalries with Hamas and see cooperation with Israel as a way to preserve their own power and protect their communities. According to Weiner, there are five or six such groups willing to do the same, if properly supported. But as with the issue of humanitarian aid, credibility will be a central challenge. Do these clans have the trust of the broader Ghazan population? And more importantly, can they maintain that trust if they're seen as collaborating too closely with the IDF? Any perception that their merely proxies for Israeli control could quickly undermine their legitimacy and make them targets both politically and physically.

The third and final principle of victory is retaking Gaza City and evacuating the population that's still there. According to Weiner, this is where Hamas's last major military leadership remains, including senior commander, Isaldin al-Hadad. With Gaza City under Israeli control, the rest of the strip would be effectively boxed in, surrounded from Naharlal's to al-Mawasi, turning the strategic pressure inward toward Hamas, and not Israel. But this would arguably be the most complex and costly phase of the plan, at least from purely a military standpoint. Gaza City is dense, urban, and booby-trapped, ideal terrain for Hamas's remaining fighters who know the area intimately and have spent years

preparing for a final stand. Retaking it would almost certainly mean block-by-block fighting, tunnels, ambushes, and high casualties, not just for Hamas, but for Israeli forces, and any civilians left behind. There's also the question of what comes next. Conquering the city is one thing. Holding it, administering it, and preventing Hamas from re-infiltrating are entirely different challenges.

Without a clear post-conflict plan, Israel risks repeating past cycles, tactical victories that fail to translate into long-term security and stability. Now, I hate to be cynical, or do I, but plans like this always look cleaner and more achievable on paper than they do in reality. Full control of aid, civilian separation, the conquest of Gaza City are all theoretically possible, but, well, nothing in this conflict has followed a script.

The question isn't whether the plan makes sense on a whiteboard in Tel Aviv. It's whether it can survive contact with reality. Can you separate civilians from terrorists without creating chaos? Can you govern Gaza without becoming its government? Can you eliminate Hamas without creating something worse in the vacuum? Those are the questions being asked and debated currently inside Israel's security cabinet. All right, coming up after the break, Putin may pause airstrikes to dodge Trump sanctions, or, well, he may not. And Washington looks to take the lead on Gaza aid as ceasefire talks stall.

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Book direct at choiceotails.com. Welcome back to the PDB. In a last ditch push for diplomacy, the White House engaged in an 11th hour meeting with Russian leader of Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, just as the clock ticks down on President Trump's Friday deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitgolf sat down with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday for nearly three hours in what Trump later hailed as a, quote, highly productive meeting. The president said,

quote, great progress was made in that further talks to end the war will take place, quote, in the days and weeks to come. It was the most optimistic note that Trump has struck regarding the conflict in months, though he's yet to publicly elaborate on what he found so encouraging about the discussion. That's according to a report from Reuters. Now, as a brief reminder, Trump has given Putin until Friday to reach a good friend. ceasefire agreement with Ukraine or face new sanctions and secondary tariffs on Russia's trading partners. Representatives for the Kremlin echoed Trump's sediments, saying Whitkoff and Putin, who last met in April of this year, had, quote, a very useful and constructive conversation.

The official said they exchanged signals on how to end the war, but like Trump, declined to provide any further details on the talks. But sources familiar with the discussion say the talks yielded two potentially major breakthroughs. They're always so optimistic. First, sources that spoke with Bloomberg said Moscow might agree to a moratorium on airstrikes, which of course would halt Russia's record-breaking drone and missile attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. In July alone, as an example, Russia launched an estimated 6,297 drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, the most of any month since Moscow's invasion back in February of 2022. Since May, those strikes have killed 72 civilians in the capital of Kiev alone,

prompting Trump to condemn the Kremlin's tactics as, quote, disgusting. While an aerial truce would fall well short of the full and immediate ceasefire that the Trump administration has been seeking, it would provide some welcome relief, of course, for Ukraine. Separately, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt revealed Wednesday afternoon that Putin proposed a face-to-face summit with President Trump during the meeting with Whitkoff. Leavitt did not go into detail, but said Trump was ready to meet with both Putin and Zelensky to end the war. Sources that spoke with the New York Times, however, said plans are already underway to organize the summit.

According to the Times report, during a call with European leaders following the Whitkoff meeting, Trump said he'll meet with Putin as early as next week, and hopes to follow up that with a trilateral summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky. It's not immediately clear if Putin or Zelensky have agreed to such a meeting, and outside of Levitt's brief remarks, there have been no official comments from Washington, Moscow, or Kiev about the diplomatic initiative. While a summit could be a significant breakthrough in Trump's efforts to end the war, many remain skeptical about Putin's motives, really? Well, that makes sense. Analysts and some European leaders reportedly fear that Putin is once again stringing along the White House, trying to placate Trump with small concessions as his troops slowly advance across the front lines

in Ukraine's eastern territory. Sources close to the Kremlin say Putin still believes he's winning the war and is therefore unlikely to bow to Trump's broader demands. One analyst with links to the Kremlin told Reuters, quote, Russia will insist it is prepared to have a ceasefire, but only under the conditions that it is formulated for the last two or three years already. Those extreme conditions include a bomb. binding pledge that NATO will not expand eastwards, acceptance of Russia's territorial gains in the war,

and assurances Ukraine will be excluded from the EU and NATO. But perhaps, learning from fast interactions with the Kremlin, the White House does appear to be approaching any progress made with Putin with healthy skepticism. Yeah, that would make sense. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Wednesday that discussions remain delicate and may not yield positive results. And a White House source told Axios that secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian energy products are still expected to be implemented on Friday. In fact, Trump is already making good on his threat to tighten the financial screws on the Putin regime. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order, hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its ongoing purchases of Russian oil, raising the country's total tariff rate

to 50%. India is Moscow's second largest oil customer after China and their purchases. have, of course, helped Moscow bypass existing sanctions and sustain their oil industry, propping up Putin's floundering wartime economy. It's unclear if China will face a similar penalty as India come Friday, but both India and China have condemned U.S. attempts to squeeze their energy trade, vowing to continue buying Russian oil. I mean, look, let's face it, after three years of enjoying discounted prices compared to the global markets, India and China are basically addicted.

to cheap Russian oil and gas. Turning to the aid effort in Gaza, President Trump is moving to expand the United States' humanitarian role, signaling a shift in Washington's posture as ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. In a meeting Monday night at the White House, Trump and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Whitgothman, he is all over the place, isn't he, discussed a plan for the U.S. to, quote, take over management of Gaza's aid operations. That's according to two American officials and one Israeli official.

familiar with the talks. The conversation followed Whitkoff's trip last week to Israel and Gaza, where he surveyed the deepening food crisis firsthand and returned with growing frustration over how the Israeli government has handled aid distribution. One of U.S. official said the president has become increasingly disturbed by reports of worsening starvation as concluded that American leadership may be the only option left. The official stated, quote, Trump does not want babies to starve. He wants mothers to be able to nurse their children. He's becoming fixated on that, end quote. Though initially hesitant to assume full operational control, Trump is said to view American leadership

as essential. The second U.S. official told Axios, quote, the president doesn't want to see the U.S. be the only country throwing money at this problem, period. It's a global problem, end quote. And so, the administration is widening the net. Washington is now quoting Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan as potential partners. And Whitkoff, has been tasked with pressing both European allies and Arab states to dip in logistically and financially. Jerusalem, meanwhile, seems on board. The Israeli official stated, quote, Washington is going to spend a lot of money in order to

help us significantly improve the humanitarian situation so that it will be less of an issue, end quote. Now, that's a candid admission from Jerusalem that humanitarian relief may also be a strategic tool for a calming international criticism. But despite the posturing, the actual plan remains vague. Much like last week, the White House promised details about Trump's then-proposed network of, quote, food centers in Gaza. So far, nothing's been finalized, and Israel has yet to confirm that a plan is in the works. As we just discussed, overshadowing the aid discussions is Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's controversial plan to expand military operations and occupy what remains of the Gaza Strip, including territory,

believed to be holding Israeli hostages. The proposal was reportedly raised during Wikov's White House visit. Asked Tuesday whether he supports the Israeli move, Trump offered only, quote, I really can't say it's going to be pretty much up to Israel. But inside the White House, officials are concerned that a full-scale offensive could undercut humanitarian goals and hostage rescue efforts.

That concern is echoed inside Israel's own security establishment, of course. The IDF's chief of staff has reportedly warned Netanyahu that pushing into central Gaza, particularly into dense urban Hamas strongholds, could force Israel into prolonged military rule over more than two million Palestinians. Still, the war plan is reportedly moving forward. Netanyahu's security cabinet is expected to greenlight the operation in a vote today. His office maintains that Hamas has zero intention of negotiating a good faith, well, that appears to be the case so far anyway, and that military action is the only path left.

And so, the Trump administration finds itself caught between two competing imperatives, staving off a humanitarian crisis in Gaza while maintaining solidarity with Israel's war aims. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, New York Assemblymen, and totally not a pandering socialist Zofran Mamdani, is facing backlash for supporting a rally calling for Korean unification under the guidance of Little Rocket Man, Kim Jong-un. Really? More on that story when we come back.

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DSA also threw their weight behind the event. They were joined by what the Post described as several other Marxist supporting organizations. I'll bet this was a fun party. We wish to see South Korea absorbed by the Hermit Kingdom, which remains one of America's chief adversaries, of course, on the global stage. The People's Summit for Korea, viewed by most as a propaganda event, you think, for the rogue unuclear North Korea state, was attended by some 500 people. Wow. Well, I mean, I guess It's a big city, New York, right? So they're bound to find 500 gormless people to show up at something like this. It featured chance of death through imperialism, and calls for an end to what participants described as America's, quote, economic domination of Korea, end quote.

The Network Contagion Research Institute, that's a think tank that tracks extremism, warned the event appeared to be an effort by allies of the Kim regime to build pro-North Korean student movements on U.S. campuses, much like the ones. supporting Hamas. Well, I'll bet they'll find some willing takers. In fact, the event was supported by a number of groups and wealthy individuals that are also tied to the anti-Israel campus uprisings seen over the past year. While Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary election for mayor of New York City in June, surprise, did not attend the event. His proximity to the gathering through his membership in the DSA, a Democratic Socialists of America, is drawing scrutiny. veteran New York political strategist Hank Scheinkov told the post, quote,

What does it tell New York's Chinese and Korean immigrants who fled to the city to get away from oppressive regimes? What does it say to others who fled here because of repressive regimes? It tells them that if you support Mamdani, the people who are with him are going to do terrible things to us, end quote. Not that our audience needs reminding, but North Korea is one of the most brutal and despotic regimes in the world. They exercise struck control, of course, over all areas of life, regularly sending entire families to prison camps for minor offenses and executing citizens for things as innocuous as accessing foreign media. According to Amnesty International, food shortages are a reality of daily life and roughly 40% of the population is undernourished. But for the Democratic Socialists of

America, well, of which Mumdani is the most prominent New York member, the rogue nation is just the poor victim of American imperialism. Hmm. And that, my friend, and that, my friend, friends, is the president's a daily brief for Thursday the 7th of August. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from IntMobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch.

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