Israel has launched dozens of airstrikes across Gaza in attacks that local health officials say killed 108 people, mostly women and children, and which Israeli officials described as a prelude to a larger campaign to pressure Hamas to release hostages.

The withering Israeli aerial campaign appeared to presage the ground operation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch if no ceasefire and hostage deal were struck by the time Trump returned to the U.

For Mr Alexander, his family and the many Israelis who have been campaigning for the hostages in Gaza, his release brought relief and joy. For Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, it was a moment of diplomatic embarrassment.