A released Israeli hostage tells her story

Plus, Toronto's ambitious housing plans and a family guaranteed to get cancer [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the first released Israeli hostage to tell her story, Toronto’s new rental housing plan and a family prepared to fight cancer. DON’T MISS Erik Marmor/AFP via Getty Images israel-hamas war [A freed Israeli hostage describes her captivity in Gaza]( At a Tel Aviv hospital Tuesday morning, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz recounted 17 days of captivity at the hands of Hamas after being released late Monday night. Lifshitz described walking through dripping wet tunnels and remaining underground for weeks, but being treated “gently” by militants, who cleaned bathrooms daily and provided medical care to those who needed it. Only four hostages have been released, leaving more than 200 in captivity, but the testimony offers a glimmer of hope to those who feared hostages were being tortured, Marco Chown Oved reports. [Here’s how Lifshitz described her brutal capture — and humane treatment thereafter](. - More: On Monday, the Israel Defence Forces released videos of interrogations of captured Hamas militants. Six different men answered questions about what they did and why. - ICYMI: A short video released last Tuesday was the first confirmation a hostage Hamas had kidnapped was alive. [Here’s what 21-year-old Mia Schem said](. - Meanwhile: Amid devastating airstrikes in Gaza, [the UN is calling on Israel to end its siege and warns it will have to cut back relief operations for Palestinians](. - Susan Delacourt’s take: [Here’s why Justin Trudeau is treading carefully as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages](. Lance McMillan/The Star housing [Toronto has unveiled a $36-billion housing plan to build 65,000 rental homes]( Olivia Chow is banking on the federal and provincial governments to provide massive unconfirmed investments in order to deliver on a new housing plan. Hoping to reverse the “destructive thinking” that only the private sector can build housing, the city wants to build 65,000 rental homes across five sites over the next seven years, Alyshah Hasham reports. [Will Toronto get the financial support it needs?]( - By the numbers: The HousingTO plan target includes 6,500 rent-geared-to-income homes, 41,000 affordable rentals and 17,500 rent-controlled market units. The city said it has already secured funding for 4,455 homes. - More: The city staff report outlining the goals also recommends Toronto requests federal and provincial legislative changes to prevent house-flipping and renovictions, and incentivize private developers to include more affordable rental units. - Go deeper: [Here’s what you need to know about rent control in Ontario]( and how advocates describe a path to more affordable housing. Steve Russell/The Star health [This mother and her children were born with “an almost 100 per cent chance” of getting cancer]( Luana Locke has battled five different types of cancer. She was first diagnosed at age 25, when she was pregnant with her first child. Then, genetic testing revealed she had a rare hereditary disorder that nearly guaranteed she would face cancer again, Megan Ogilvie reports. Her children, aged 26 and 17, have been diagnosed with the same disorder. Although Locke, now 52, has battled cancer five times, rigorous testing has helped her come out on top. [Here’s how a new test using “a simple blood draw” could continue to help them and others](. - More: “I’m no longer leaving it to chance, that the cancer will come when I least expect it,” Locke says. “I try to live my life and not be afraid.” - Go deeper: On Tuesday, researchers at SickKids Hospital published results of a study that showed a cancer-detecting blood test was able to identify cancerous DNA fragments in the blood of patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. An expert said the study is the first they know of that can be applied in patients who do not have cancer, but are at high risk. WHAT ELSE Secret files show CSIS was worried [Canada has “no consequences” for foreign state interference](. Fifty years ago, the insurance industry warned of climate change. [As premiums skyrocket, it’s time we listened](. Amid growing dissent, [will Canada change its immigration plans?]( Another day, [another policy climbdown for Doug Ford’s government](. An “unspeakable tragedy” has left [three children and two adults dead in Sault Ste. Marie](. A “lack of transparency” about the cleanup of Mimico Creek is [sparking calls for an inquiry](. Frustrated buyers want out of The One condo project — [but they can’t get refunds or complete assignment sales](. Rich Cooper is so keen to sell his property, [he has been setting up a sales booth outside several condos](. This rare underwater property in Pickering is [for sale for $60 million](. Sriracha is once again in short supply. [Here are some alternatives](. Want to watch a scary movie tonight? [These are the 10 best horror films of all time, according to our critic](. Britney Spears’ long-awaited memoir is finally here [and it doesn]( pull punches](. POV Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library [Banting hoped insulin would be available for all. How his dream became a nightmare.]( CLOSE-UP Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP via Getty Images AJACCIO: Farmer Jacques Bonnevalle picks up Chrysanthemum pots to sell for All Saints’ Day on a French Mediterranean island of Corsica on Tuesday. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_202480). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](