Today’s news summary – Paper Talk: ‘Time for war … not ceasefire’ & ‘explosive’ WhatsApp Covid messages

Tuesday’s newspapers report on the Israeli hostages in Gaza and revelations from the Covid inquiry. 

Israeli soldier rescued 

Ori Megidish, the Israeli soldier who was held by Hamas for three weeks, has been reunited with her family. She was featured on several of the front pages. 

The Daily Telegraph says her rescue is significant for Netanyahu who is facing questions about his decision to launch a ground invasion of Gaza whilst Hamas are still holding hostages. 

The Guardian leads on Netanyahu’s words “this is a time for war” and not for a ceasefire. 

The Mail reports on the video released by Hamas, which shows three Israeli women, being held in Gaza, urging Netanyahu to secure their release by freeing Palestinian prisoners. 

The i newspaper says doctors in Gaza are having to amputate patients’ limbs – even when it should not be necessary – because they don’t have the resources to treat injuries. The head of Al Quds hospital in Gaza City, Bashar Murad, told the paper that doctors now treated only those who had a chance to survive.

AI summit and Covid inquiry 

Several papers report Elon Musk is planning to attend the PM’s summit on AI. The Mail suggests it’s a scoop for Sunak after several world leaders turned down an invitation. 

The Times reports Foreign Office civil servants wanted to exclude Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu, from this week’s summit on AI in Bletchley Park.

The latest from the Covid inquiry also makes several front splashes. 

The Mirror leads on what it calls the “explosive” WhatsApp messages released to the Covid inquiry. In one of the messages the Cabinet secretary accuses Boris Johnson of making the government look like a “tragic joke.” 

“If you thought the government was incompetent and dishonest during the pandemic,” says the paper, “turns out you were right”.