For the hundreds of Israelis who poured into the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early on Monday to welcome the 20 hostages released by Hamas, the moment came two years too late. Equally, for the scores of Palestinians who have returned to northern Gaza since last Friday’s ceasefire, all that awaits in place of their homes is rubble under which their loved ones are still buried. Yet, on both sides, there is a rare if fragile sense of relief — and even a flicker of gratitude towards US President Donald Trump, whose 20-point peace plan is, against all odds, beginning to take shape in the region this week.

In exchange for the release of hostages by Hamas, Israel shall free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners — a scale of exchange unseen in decades. Trump’s team has managed what the internat

See Full Page