Southern Ontarian families relieved for loved ones as Israel-Hamas ceasefire begins
CBC
Sunday marked the end of "15 months of agonizing torment and uncertainty" for Maureen Leshem of Toronto and her family in Israel.
Leshem's cousin, Romi Gonen, was one of three hostages freed Sunday as part of a ceasefire deal that pauses the war in Gaza that began following the attacks by Hamas-led militants against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
"Today, my heart is filled with immense gratitude and relief," Leshem said at a news conference in Toronto Sunday.
The six-week ceasefire agreement, which outlines a plan to gradually release a total of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, officially began Sunday after a three-hour delay.
Israeli officials have said they don't know whether all 33 of those hostages are still alive.
Gonen was abducted by Hamas from the Nova Music Festival 471 days ago. She was shot in the arm on Oct. 7, something she described to her family on the phone before she was abducted. It would be nearly two months before her family confirmed she was alive.
Leshem said her cousin faced "incomprehensible cruelty and trauma" in captivity, and her family will now begin helping her heal.
"We know that the Romi who is returning to us is not the same vibrant, joyful young lady who was stolen from us on Oct. 7," Leshem said. "We will need to get to know a new version of Romi — and that breaks my heart."
About 90 Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank and Jerusalem were also set to be released Sunday.
Reem Sultan of London, Ont., who says she's lost over a dozen family members in the conflict, said Sunday that the ceasefire is a relief for her and her surviving family in Gaza.
"I feel like bricks have been lifted off my chest," she said.
As her cousins return home after being displaced by the fighting, Sultan said she's grappling with images of destruction and rubble flooding her phone.
"I'm thinking, where are they going to live?" she said.
Sultan said she wants those responsible for the destruction to be held accountable, and she hopes an agreement will be reached that allows for a free Palestinian state and lasting peace in the region.
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