Newspaper headlines: More hostages released and Storm Babet aftermath

Storm Babet has brought flooding across Yorkshire and the East Midlands

The conflict in Gaza continues to dominate the front pages.

The i says the release of two Israeli hostages by Hamas raises hopes for a deal to secure the freedom of dozens of others being held captive.

The Guardian says diplomatic efforts are intensifying, citing reports from the Middle East that suggest as many as 50 people could be released "imminently". The Sun says hostages with dual citizenship are "said to have been earmarked for release".

According to the Daily Telegraph, calls for a delay to Israel's planned ground offensive in Gaza are now likely to increase. It quotes local media as saying the Israeli prime minister is holding off on the incursion, much to the frustration of his military chiefs. The paper also predicts a "clash" between the UK and US on one side and the European Union on the other. It says several EU leaders have signed a draft statement calling for a "humanitarian pause" in fighting, while British and American officials have refused to back calls for a ceasefire.

"PM blasts Met Police for not acting on 'jihadi' chants" is the headline in the Daily Express. It praises Rishi Sunak for insisting the police already have the powers to arrest people who incite violence. The Daily Mail says his comments put him "at loggerheads" with the Scotland Yard commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, who defended a decision by his officers not to arrest demonstrators shouting "jihad" at a protest in London.

In its leader column, the Times says it was a "clear dereliction of duty" and an operational failure. It suggests the police have "turned a blind eye to antisemitic chanting". But the i quotes senior police officers as saying they are "sick" of the government pushing them to "reach beyond the law" to arrest protesters for "political gain".

The Sun reports that Coronation Street actress Dame Maureen Lipman, who is Jewish, has said she was offered security by ITV because of a rise in antisemitic attacks. Expressing surprise at the offer, Ms Lipman is quoted as saying: "This is where we are now."

"Why will no one help us?" reads the headline in the Daily Mirror, echoing the pleas of people caught up in what it calls the "flooding hell" caused by Storm Babet. Residents of the worst affected areas tell the paper they feel they've been abandoned - and say they were told after floods in 2007 that their homes would "never be hit again".

The Financial Times reports on what it calls "alarming" figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that tenants in London spend 35% of their income on rental costs. It describes it as a UK "black spot" because it's the only area with a rent-to-income ratio above 30%, which is considered unaffordable.

And the Guardian highlights research which suggests the Moon could be older than previously thought - by about 40 million years. It says scientists examined crystals in lunar dust brought back from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, and found the Moon appeared to be 4.46 billion years old.

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