Hostages from Gaza began to return to Israel. What the media is writing

Hamas has begun releasing the Israeli hostages and handing them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. They will be welcomed by US President Donald Trump, who has specially arrived in Israel. The 20 remaining hostages are expected to return home. What the world's media are writing about what is happening in the Gaza Strip is in the Izvestia digest.

Bloomberg: Hamas released the first seven hostages

On the morning of October 13, Hamas released seven living Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip following an agreement reached with U.S. support at the end of last week. The Palestinian militant group handed them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, after which they were sent to the Israeli military. The remaining surviving hostages, a total of 13 people, are expected to be released later in the day. At about 10 a.m. Israeli time (coincides with Moscow time), the Israeli military reported that the Red Cross was heading to an additional meeting place in the southern Gaza Strip, where several more hostages would be transferred.

The Israeli government named the names of seven released hostages — all of them men, six of them are about 20 years old, and one is 48. The authorities have not yet commented on their condition. As of last week, 48 hostages were still being held in Gaza, including only one woman. Israel believes that 20 of them are alive. Hamas has agreed to hand over all the dead prisoners, although it is unclear whether this will happen on Monday or take longer.

Axios: Trump landed in Israel

Trump arrived in Israel on October 13 amid the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The day before, the US president said that the war in Gaza was over and expressed confidence that the ceasefire agreement reached through his mediation a few days ago would be respected. While Trump was heading to the region, Hamas and Israel were completing final preparations for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

Trump will stay in Israel for less than five hours. He will travel to Jerusalem to address the Knesset, as well as meet with the families of the hostages and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said that, in his opinion, the ceasefire will remain in place because both Israel and Hamas are tired of fighting, and most people in Israel and the countries of the region support his peace plan. He stressed that he had received guarantees from both sides that they would fulfill the agreement.

The New York Times: the chance to free the hostages was missed a few months ago

On the evening of October 11, hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. The crowd cheered the mention of Trump, who many Israelis believe forced Netanyahu to seize the moment and secure his release. The main question at that moment was whether it would have been possible to conclude this deal much earlier, when even more hostages could have remained alive, and before tens of thousands of Palestinians would have been killed. It was this argument that caused the booing that swept through the crowd when Trump's special envoy, Steven Witkoff, mentioned Netanyahu.

Historians have been arguing for years about whether the war between Israel and Hamas could have ended a year ago, when Israeli troops stumbled upon and killed the Hamas leader and organizer of the October 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar. Or, conversely, Israel and Hamas missed the opportunity to continue the cease-fire agreement that President Joe Biden and his aides abandoned before Trump came to power. Despite the fact that Witkoff participated in the January agreement, it did not work, and at the beginning of Trump's presidential term, the war resumed, bringing with it new victims and suffering.

Financial Times: A rare moment of hope in the Middle East

Israel violated the previous truce, which secured the release of some hostages, as Netanyahu and his far-right allies refused to take any steps to end the war or withdraw Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. It is imperative that Trump does not deviate from the planned course and ensure the full implementation of the plan, including the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops and the creation of a new reliable governance structure in the Gaza Strip with the participation of the Palestinians to ensure its legitimacy.

Despite Trump's erratic behavior and his "America first" motto, he has the opportunity to restore the undermined authority of the United States among allies and countries of the global South if he becomes a leader who returns the hostages home, puts an end to the massacre in Gaza and lays the foundations for a just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Now the president must responsibly use his leverage and fulfill his promises to end the endless cycle of violence that has plagued the Middle East for too long. The release of the hostages is a significant event, and this is only the first step towards peace.

Peace stop: Hamas releases hostages ahead of Egypt summit

At the same time, the movement mobilized about 7,000 fighters to regain control of the Gaza Strip.

The Guardian: UK to hold international summit on Gaza reconstruction

A three-day conference organized by the Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be held in the UK. The event will be attended by representatives of the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany and Italy, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the private sector and organizations. In a statement, Downing Street said the discussions would focus on supporting the Palestinian Authority to help rebuild Gaza.

The ceasefire gives us the opportunity not only to urgently increase humanitarian aid, but also to develop a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. It is necessary to clear the rubble in the city, repair the infrastructure, restore healthcare and rebuild houses. The UK will allocate 20 million pounds to ensure water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Funding will be provided through UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the Norwegian Refugee Council.