Tel Aviv, Jan. 29 -- The Israeli government has said that eight of the remaining 26 hostages who were due to be released by the Gaza-based Hamas militant group as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are dead, reported BBC.

Israel government's spokesperson David Mencer confirmed the development and said that the Israeli counterparts received a list from Hamas which provided the necessary information regarding the status of the hostages.

"The list from Hamas matches Israel's intelligence, so I can share with you that...eight have been killed by Hamas. The families have been informed of the situation of their relatives," Mencer said.

According to Mencer, the eight hostages were killed by the Palestinian militant group, whic...