National News

People react as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ohad Zwigenberg

Those in Canada with loved ones in Middle East hopeful about Hamas-Israel peace plan

By The Canadian Press

Published 10:36 PDT, Thu October 9, 2025

Last Updated: 2:44 PDT, Thu October 9, 2025

—

For Raquel Ohnona Look, whose son was killed by Hamas at a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, the U.S.-advanced plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip has been a long time coming.

“We will take any deal, because we need our people back where they belong," said Look, who lives in Montreal.

After two years of war, Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting. Hamas says it will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza. But while the Trump administration hopes a suspension of hostilities will lead to a phased end to the war, details of the medium and long-term plan are still under discussion.

Look, meanwhile, says she is "elated" for the families of those held captive by Hamas since October 2023 — even for the relatives of the roughly 28 hostages who are believed to be dead.

"It's an excruciating pain to not have your loved one’s body to bury," she said.

Look's son Alexandre, a 33-year-old Montreal native, was among the concertgoers who were murdered by Hamas militants at the Supernova music festival by the border between Israel and Gaza. The City of Côte Saint-Luc, on the Island of Montreal, has named a green space after him.

The plan advanced by U.S President Donald Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort.

On Wednesday, Global Affairs Canada said it was too soon to announce what role Canada would play to secure a ceasefire or truce in Gaza. Look says she hopes Canadian troops on the ground won't be necessary.

David Solomon has extended family in Israel. Though he worries Hamas might renege on the deal, he said he's feeling positive about the future of the region. "For the first time in my life, I can tell you that there is a sense of optimism," said Solomon, who lives in Montreal. "The idea that this day is here is surreal."

He said his family in Israel will remain on high alert until all the hostages are released. "Until all the phases are done, I don't think that Israelis will rest," he said of Trump's phased approach to ending the war.

His dream is that one day Israelis and Palestinians will coexist alongside each other, saying he's not opposed to a Palestinian state. "There's hardly any Israeli today that doesn't want peace," he said. "We all want peace. We want to live with our neighbours in peace."

Omar Mansour, based in Vancouver, has family in the Gaza Strip. Any plan that could put an end to attacks on innocent civilians is welcome, he said. "Then we can talk about a one-state solution, a two-state solution," he said. "For now, at least, stop the killing."

He too doesn't want Canada to send troops to the Gaza Strip; rather, he says the government should take diplomatic action to pressure the Israeli government to allow for the existence of a Palestinian state.

Mansour tries to keep in touch with his family in Gaza as often as he can and said it's a miracle the people he loves are still alive. "They've been crying, because they just need some time to wake up from this thing. They need some time to breathe and to grieve," he said.

He says he wants to see Canada to do more to support people in Gaza, including by reopening the special visa program created to assist people fleeing the war. The federal government closed the program, which had a cap of 5,000 applications, in March.

Nariman Ajjur, who lives in Surrey B.C., said she's feeling cautiously optimistic. Her parents and six siblings are still trapped in Gaza. “We’re trying to be hopeful but we’re afraid that it won’t work," she said about the plan to end the war, adding that she has doubts that Israel will commit to a ceasefire.

She wants to see international pressure on Israel to make it abide to a ceasefire and allow more humanitarian aid to enter the territory. “We have been living this fear for two years, seeing our loved ones displaced, starving," she said. "I'm hoping that this will end soon."

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The ensuing war has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this month. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

– Miriam Lafontaine, The Canadian Press

With files from The Associated Press.