MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, marking the first step toward implementing Donald Trump’s peace plan; Russia and the United States are moving to resume dialogue on disarmament; and Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev held their first meeting since the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines crash. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Israel and Hamas concluded a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip on October 9 in Sharm el-Sheikh, marking the initial move toward implementing Donald Trump’s peace plan. Mediators expressed optimism: the Egyptian president, who attended the signing ceremony, said that the Gaza agreement would give the people of the Middle East hope for a stable future. However, experts warn that it is too soon to celebrate. In their view, hardliners within the Israeli government may attempt to derail further negotiations. Moreover, once the hostages are released, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may lose his motivation to sustain a constructive dialogue with the Palestinian side, Izvestia writes.
The agreement is based on Trump’s proposed "48 for 2,000" formula. The Palestinian side agreed to release 48 hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinians serving life sentences. Netanyahu stated that within the next 24 hours, the IDF would also halt military operations in Gaza and withdraw its forces to a pre-agreed line. Then, within the following 72 hours, the exchange of hostages and prisoners would occur.