The Middle East has been at a crossroads since the armistice. What the media is writing

After the release of the Israeli hostages, the question arose about the further development of the situation in the Middle East. Hamas and Israel have not yet reached a full agreement on the fundamental points of the peace plan of US President Donald Trump. There are already calls from the families of the hostages to end the truce, as they have received the bodies of only four of the 28 dead prisoners. What the world media write about the prospects for a settlement is in the Izvestia digest.

The Times of Israel: Hamas returns bodies of four hostages

Israel received the coffins containing the bodies of four murdered hostages from Gaza, accusing Hamas of failing to fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement because it did not hand over all the bodies it was holding. The fate of the 24 other dead hostages is still unknown. In the past, Hamas has returned the bodies of strangers instead of hostages.

Israeli police escorted the coffins containing the remains of the four hostages to the Abu Kabir Forensic Medical Institute in Tel Aviv, where they will be identified. Officials said the identification process could take up to two days. In response to the limited release of the bodies, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that if Hamas deliberately delays the return of the dead hostages, it would be a violation of the agreement.

Trump arrived, the hostages were returned: Israel celebrates the end of the war with Hamas. Details

Financial Times: Netanyahu is trying to regain political influence

In his triumphant speech in the Knesset, US President Donald Trump appealed to lawmakers to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was referring to the protracted corruption trial. On the day when Israel celebrated the release of 20 hostages, the call for clemency had a very wide resonance.

Netanyahu refused to take responsibility for the Hamas attack, shifting it to the heads of the security services, who have now either resigned or been fired. He preferred to appease his far-right coalition allies and continue the punitive operation in the Gaza Strip until Trump lost patience and demanded a cease-fire. Despite decades of Israel's political history, during which prime ministers such as Golda Meir, Menachem Begin and Ehud Olmert left office due to serious security lapses, Netanyahu is holding on and is likely to continue to stall for time.

The Washington Post: The positions of Israelis and Arabs are still far away

On October 13, a meeting of world leaders took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, who supported the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and Trump's peace plan. Although the meeting in Egypt was billed as a "peace summit," none of the warring parties attended. Netanyahu declined Trump's invitation at the last minute, saying the trip would coincide with a Jewish holiday. Hamas was never included in the summit, and the organization refused to disarm, as required by Trump's plan.

As the positions of Hamas and Israel continue to differ greatly, the truce remains fragile. Nevertheless, Trump presented the situation as a prelude to a broader restructuring of the region, hoping to build on the Abraham Agreements he reached in his first term, which normalized Israel's relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. His initiative even extended to Iran, whose nuclear facilities were bombed by the United States in June.

NBC News: What happens next after the hostages are freed

Hamas has long stated that it will not release the last hostage until Israeli troops have completely withdrawn from Gaza, but by agreeing to the first phase of Trump's plan, the group is counting on Trump's guarantees that a complete military withdrawal will eventually take place. It is still unclear when Israel will fully withdraw its troops or if it will withdraw at all. It is also unclear whether Hamas will agree to a key condition of Trump's overall plan, as well as to Israel's most important demand — to disarm.

The militants agreed to give up leadership of the territory and transfer control to a transitional body of Palestinian technocrats, which will be controlled by an international body dubbed the Peace Council. Trump is expected to head this body, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has also been named as a possible member of the oversight body. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are balancing hopes for peace and fears that a cease-fire will not be respected while many return to areas where their homes once stood.

Associated Press: The path to lasting peace and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip is thorny

A fragile truce in Gaza has led to the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The coming weeks, months, and years will require more than just rebuilding the devastation that has left much of Gaza in ruins. Key details of the peace plan may remain unresolved. It will be necessary to discuss the details in order to ensure the implementation of the plan and prevent the resumption of hostilities. The path to long-term peace, stability and, eventually, recovery will be long and very thorny.

In order to resolve these issues and prevent the resumption of hostilities, the United States and other countries that insisted on a cease-fire must continue to exert pressure and pay attention. All this is superimposed on the legacy of the conflict, the deep distrust between the parties and the vague, conditional possibility of eventually establishing a Palestinian State, an issue that has been a stumbling block for decades. Despite the enthusiasm for the latest deal, there are grounds for skepticism, as U.S. attempts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have failed for decades.