Monday was an emotional day for Canadians with family in Israel and Gaza as a peace deal was signed alongside the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
But while celebrations were marked with cautious optimism, some experts were skeptical that the deal will lead to lasting peace in the region.
Maureen Leshem of Toronto, whose cousin Romi Gonen was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and held for 15 months, said she felt a "rush of gratitude" and "overwhelming relief" on Monday, calling the peace deal a victory for all humanity.
"We are being surrounded right now by family and love, and we're all trying to absorb this day and this moment in our own way," she told CBC News Network. "This day definitely carries relief, but there are layers and layers of memory, of pain, of fragile hope."
Louay Alghoul of Winnipeg, who lost 139 family members to Israeli attacks in Gaza since Oct.
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