Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to a devastated Gaza City on Oct 11, as Hamas prepared to release Israeli hostages and US President Donald Trump readied to chair an international summit on his peace plan for the region.

Mr Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will chair the summit of more than 20 countries in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Oct 13 afternoon, the Egyptian presidency said.

The meeting will aim “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, it said.

A day after the guns fell silent, Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy promised Israeli hostage families their loved ones would return, and the region’s top US general visited Gaza.

READ MORE HERE

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered beneath a screen in Tel Aviv marking 735 days since Hamas took hostages to Gaza, finally daring to hope a ceasefire will herald an end to their ordeal.

“My emotions are immense, there are no words to describe them – for me, for us, for all of Israel, which want...