It has been an extraordinary day of enormous emotion and high drama but, for all that, we have only witnessed the first phase of the Trump peace plan – and in many ways that is the easy bit. The first phase envisaged a ceasefire, the release of hostages, the release of many more Palestinians held in Israeli jails, a partial Israeli military withdrawal, and aid starting to flood back into Gaza. Job done, although the aid bit is still a work in progress. Trump and his team ripped up one of the golden rules of Middle Eastern negotiating to pull…

The president of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina has fled the country after weeks of street protests, the opposition leader has said. Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko told the Reuters news agency Mr Rajoelina left the country on Sunday after units of the army joined the protesters – and that his whereabouts were unknown. “We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country”, he said. He added that members of the National Assembly are also set to begin impeachment proceedings against the 51-year-old. A military source also told Reuters that Mr Rajoelina flew out of the country on a…

Hamas has handed over all 20 surviving hostages being held in Gaza – with President Trump heralding the moment as the “historic dawn of a new Middle East”. The remaining Israelis were exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners after being held in the tunnels of Gaza for more than two years. Hamas initially handed over seven hostages to the Red Cross, before releasing the other 13 for emotional reunions with their families. Follow the latest updates here They were then flown to a special “homecoming” hospital where they will be allowed to recover in private. Image: Twin brothers Gali and…

A teddy sits on a bed in a bright hospital room. Beside it is a small fridge stocked with bottled water and Coca-Cola. While the bear might make you think a child is about to arrive, this room will soon be welcoming one of the 20 Israeli hostages believed to be alive in Gaza. With phase one of Donald Trump’s peace plan now under way, an entire nation is holding its breath for the return of the hostages, not least the medical teams preparing to receive them. Gaza latest: Israel prepares for hostages’ release Sky News was given special access…

Huda Abu al Naja, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl who suffered from malnutrition for months, has died in Nasser Hospital in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel. Warning: This article contains images that some readers may find distressing. Huda, who was reported to have coeliac disease, died of a “simple infection” on Friday that her immune system, weakened by months of malnutrition, could not fight off, the paper reported, citing a journalist from another Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. When a Sky News team visited the hospital in July, they were told Huda had lost half her body weight since March. Her…

Donald Trump has warned the US may send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Russia doesn’t end the war soon. The president was speaking aboard Air Force One, where he is flying to the Middle East to mark a peace plan in Gaza. Vladimir Putin has previously suggested this would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington. Image: A Tomahawk missile being launched in the Gulf in 2014. Reuters file pic Mr Trump told reporters: “I might say ‘Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks’. “The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon,…

Sir Keir Starmer will join world leaders at a historic summit in Egypt today – to witness the signing of the Gaza peace plan to end two years of conflict, bloodshed and suffering that has cost tens of thousands of lives and turned Gaza into a wasteland. Travelling over to Egypt, flanked by his national security adviser Jonathan Powell, the prime minister told me it was a “massive moment” and one that is genuinely historic. US President Donald Trump moved decisively last week to end this bloody war, pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas into a ceasefire as…

👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈  The world turns to the Middle East as hostages held by Hamas are returned to their families in Israel on Monday after over two years in captivity. Thousands of Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israeli prisons in exchange. Mark Stone is in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, and Dominic Waghorn is in Jerusalem, Israel, as President Trump flies first to Israel to speak at the Israeli Parliament and celebrate the return of the hostages, before he flies to the Sinai Peninsula. Dozens of world leaders will follow him to Sharm el…

Donald Trump was heckled by left-wing politicians as he told Israel’s parliament the Gaza peace deal marks “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”. Addressing the Knesset for more than an hour before signing the peace deal in Egypt on Monday afternoon, the US president said: “This is not only the end of a war. “This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope, and of God. “It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon…

At least 42 people have been killed in a bus crash on a steep mountain road in South Africa, authorities have said. Seven children were among the victims, while 49 other people were injured. The crash happened near the town of Louis Trichardt, in the northern province of Limpopo, nearly 250 miles north of the capital, Pretoria. The bus was heading to Zimbabwe and was on a road, known as the N1, when it veered down an embankment at around 6pm on Sunday. The cause of the crash is not yet known. The victims included 18 women and 17 men,…