The Papers: 'Year-long Gaza war' and royal race row rumbles on

10 months ago 11

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Several of Saturday's papers lead with the continuing conflict in Gaza. In its weekend edition, the Financial Times reports that Israel is preparing to "dig in" for a year-long campaign against Hamas, citing sources. It reports that the most intensive phase of the ground offensive will continue into early 2024.

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The Guardian says Israel has signalled it is preparing a ground offensive in southern Gaza after the collapse of the pause in fighting with Hamas. It describes it as a "significant escalation" of the war.

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The Daily Mail says children as young as seven are attending pro-Palestinian rallies in a "wave of truancy" at British schools. It cites a report from right-wing think tank the Policy Exchange, claiming parents are being advised by what it describes as "hard line groups" on how to avoid fines from schools, and on setting up protests.

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The Daily Express turns its attention to the government's Rwanda asylum plan, which was ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court last month. The paper tells its readers the deal is still on, with senior officials saying a new treaty will "make it work".

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King Charles is pictured at the COP28 summit on the front page of the Times, shown wearing a tie which has a pattern based on the Greek flag. The decision follows a week-long row between PM Rishi Sunak and his Greek counterpart over the Parthenon Sculptures. But the main story is on a former PM, Boris Johnson, who the paper says will admit at the Covid inquiry next week his government made mistakes in the pandemic, but insist that the decisions he took ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

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The King is also pictured on the front page of the Sun, alongside his son the Duke of Sussex. Like several other media outlets, the Sun reports the King has been named as one of the two Royal Family members identified in the race row mistakenly in the Dutch edition of Omid Scobie's book. "Endgame" - the title of the book - is also the paper's headline.

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The story is also the Daily Telegraph's lead story. The paper says Prince Harry is facing pressure to speak out in defence of his father and Catherine, the Princess of Wales. It says leading public figures have rallied to support them against accusations of racism.

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The i says tobacco companies are lobbying the prime minister to increase Britain's smoking age to 21, instead of pursuing an outright ban for future generations. On the front page of its weekend edition, the paper says the industry sees New Zealand's U-turn on its own similar policy as a chance to force a reversal from the government.

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The Daily Mirror reports that I'm a Celebrity viewers have been urged to vote Nigel Farage out of the jungle over his "divisive views". Two Labour MPs, Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson, have led calls to "get him out of there".

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The Daily Star quotes legal experts as saying calling someone who has no hair a "slaphead" might amount to sex-related harassment.

The Guardian thinks that Israel has signalled a "significant escalation" in the war with Hamas, after the resumption of fighting yesterday. The paper says the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to have rejected a US call for restraint - and that Israel is preparing to launch a ground attack in southern Gaza, where it believes the Hamas leadership is based. The Guardian points to Israeli leaflets being dropped in parts of the city of Khan Younis, warning citizens to evacuate further south to Rafah, on the Egyptian border.

According to the Financial Times, Israel is planning a campaign against Hamas that will "stretch for a year or more". The paper says several people familiar with the preparations have told it that a military push from northern Gaza to the south is "imminent". The goals, it says, include killing the three top Hamas leaders and destroying the group's "governing capability in Gaza".

The Daily Mail highlights a report that children as young as seven are skipping school to join pro-Palestinian marches. It quotes the Policy Exchange think tank as saying that "hard line groups" are advising parents on how to avoid fines from schools. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan tells the paper that while she would "always encourage young people to engage in world events," doing so by joining protests during school time is unacceptable".

Image source, Getty Images

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Israel has resumed its attacks on Gaza after the end of a truce with Hamas on Friday

The Times leads on Boris Johnson's upcoming evidence to the Covid public inquiry, two and a half years after he announced there would be hearings into the UK's response to the pandemic. The paper says the former prime minister's appearance next Wednesday will be a "pivotal moment". It says Mr Johnson will admit that he "unquestionably made mistakes" but insist that decisions he took ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

The Daily Express urges readers not to "believe the doubters", declaring that the "Rwanda migrant deal is on". The government's plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda were ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court last month, but the paper quotes senior officials as saying a new treaty will "make it work".

The Daily Telegraph says it understands that Rishi Sunak is "leaning towards" what it calls a hard-line Rwanda law, to secure deportation flights before the next general election. However, a No 10 source is quoted as saying: "Nothing is decided, everything is still on the table."

The fallout continues from what some have called the royal race row. The Telegraph reports that Prince Harry is facing pressure to speak out in defence of his father and the Princess of Wales, as leading public figures rally behind them. The two were identified in the Dutch version of a book as the royals who allegedly made remarks about the skin colour of Prince Archie before he was born. Buckingham Palace has said "all options" are open for its response. Sources close to the Sussexes have previously insisted the couple have not said that either the comments - or those who made them - were "racist".

The Sun also leads on the story. The paper reports that relations between the King and Prince Harry are said to be "fractured beyond repair". "Endgame" - the title of the book - is also the paper's headline.

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