This begins a 72-hour countdown for all hostages—living and dead—still held by Hamas to be released.
Israeli soldiers pass by humanitarian aid packages waiting to be picked up on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing Point in Kerem Shalom, Gaza Strip, on July 24, 2025. Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images
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Israel has completed the first phase of its withdrawal from Gaza as the cease-fire to end the Israel–Hamas war has begun.
This begins a 72-hour countdown for all hostages—living and dead—still held by Hamas to be released.
Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.
