It was supposed to be a solemn ceremony for the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre.

However, in the hours before the commemoration was held in Côte-St-Luc on Monday morning, news broke that the last 20 living Israeli hostages had been freed as part of a negotiated peace plan to end the war in Gaza. That brought a tone of joy, as the roughly 150 people who gathered held hope that the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war may have come to an end.

“It was so joyful to see these people reunited with their families out of these dark tunnels,” said Raquel Ohnona Look, whose son, Alexandre , was killed in the Oct. 7 attack — the lone victim from the Montreal area. He had been at the Nova Music Festival and placed himself in danger so others could escape. Monday’s ceremony was held at Alexandre Look Place

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