The Papers: Hostages free after 48 days and Comic Relief chief quits

10 months ago 11

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The freeing of some Israeli hostages by Hamas dominates many of Saturday's front pages. The release of the hostages coincides with the start of a four-day pause in fighting - something the Guardian focuses on in its main story.

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The weekend edition of the i emphasizes the near 50 days of captivity some of the hostages endured after being kidnapped on 7 October. The paper also has an exclusive claiming BBC presenter Huw Edwards is set to depart the BBC after an inquiry into his conduct.

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The Times also leads with the landmark moment captives were released from Gaza: "At last, freedom for some", its main headline says. The paper also notes the 39 Palestinian women and youth who were also released from Israeli prisons as part of the deal. Home Secretary James Cleverly, still fresh in the job, has also given an interview to the paper in which he claims his predecessor's Rwanda plan is not "the be all and end all" in terms of the government's plans for curbing immigration.

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While the Daily Telegraph features the release of the hostages prominently on its front page too, its main story focuses on Comic Relief's chairman, who has quit over the charity's stance on Gaza. Eric Salama says he thought the charity's approach was "profoundly wrong" after it signed a petition criticising Israeli bombing, the paper reports.

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Former CNN boss Jeff Zucker features on the front of this weekend's Financial Times. In an interview with the paper, Mr Zucker accuses other media rivals who were bidding to acquire the Telegraph group of turning on his Abu Dhabi-backed deal after he cut them out. The broadsheet also splashes a photo of a Red Cross convoy believed to be transporting hostages out of Gaza.

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Conservative sources are quoted in the Daily Mail's front page story warning Rishi Sunak's "stealth tax" raid on incomes could come earlier than planned. The tabloid says a freeze on personal tax thresholds imposed in 2021 was set to last until 2028 but it could be scrapped in the Spring Budget or in an election manifesto. The Daily Mail's main image features a 2019 picture of Catherine, the Princess of Wales alongside the Duchess of Sussex, with the paper claiming there is a "frosty silence" between the pair.

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Veteran campaigner and broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen dominates the front of Saturday's Daily Express as she tells the paper she treasures every single day as she continues her cancer fight. She tells the tabloid new treatments are "holding back" her stage four cancer. "This is the Christmas I thought I wouldn't see because last January I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer," she explains.

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Finally, the Daily Star takes it upon itself to visit Stockton-on-Tees in a week in which the home secretary was accused of branding the town an expletive. James Cleverly admitted the jibe, but said it was aimed at a Labour MP and not the town. The tabloid describes the town as "a garden of Eden", and notes its beer prices - which it says are as low as £3.

Pictures of some of the hostages who have been freed from Gaza appear on most of Saturday's front pages.

But, the i newspaper reports there is growing anger at the Israeli government from families of those not included in the deal. Domestically the paper claims "Huw Edwards is set to leave BBC News". It says an internal review of the presenter's behaviour has been completed - and it quotes an unnamed colleague saying there is no path back for him. The BBC says it won't comment on speculation.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times says there is joy in the West Bank at the release of 39 women and children from Israeli custody. The paper describes hundreds of people greeting their return by singing patriotic songs and setting off fireworks.

Image source, EPA

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People look on as an Israeli army helicopter carrying hostages lands at the helipad of the Schneider-Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel

Elsewhere in domestic news, the Daily Telegraph splashes on the head of Comic Relief resigning in protest against the charity's decision to sign a petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Eric Salama - who was due to leave in March - quit after describing management as "fundamentally wrong". The charity said the petition - which also called for the release of hostages - focused on the need to protect civilians on all sides of the conflict.

James Cleverly is in the Times being interviewed about the government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. He tells the paper it should not be seen as "the be all and end all". He adds he was frustrated there had been a fixation on the policy - which has been ruled unlawful - rather than on the mission to stop small boats.

The home secretary is also in the Daily Star, which sent a reporter to Stockton-on-Tees after Mr Cleverly was accused of mocking the town - which he denies. The tabloid says with the widest high street in Britain, and with beers as cheap as £3, it can be described as a veritable paradise.

Finally, Dame Esther Rantzen, 84, is on the front of the Daily Express talking about being especially excited about Christmas this year - because she never thought she would live to see it as she battles lung cancer.

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