Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday "it is a day for optimism" as Israel and Hamas agreed to the terms of a U.S.-brokered plan for peace in Gaza, paving the way for the release of the Israeli hostages and an end to the hostilities.

Carney said Canada is urging all parties to honour the plan, and urging Hamas in particular to follow through on its part of the bargain, namely releasing all the hostages — including the bodies of the deceased — that it snatched and kept in captivity after its brutal Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The agreement, which has not been published in its entirety but includes at least some sort of ceasefire, came about after sustained pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and his Arab interlocutors who urged both sides to down weapons after two years of bl

See Full Page