Eight of the remaining hostages set to be released by Hamas in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel are dead, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.

Eight of the 26 hostages still to be released from Gaza during the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire are dead, The Telegraph has learned.

Eight Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants have died. They were supposed to be released as part of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, states the spokesperson for the Israeli government,

Israeli troops pull back but maintain a watchful eye on the tens of thousands of Gazans who had been displaced during the 15 months of fighting.

Israel has prevented thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of changing the order of hostages it has released.

On Saturday, Trump ordered the U.S. to resume shipments of the 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. In May, Biden halted the shipments, claiming at the time that the weapons were being used in areas with high concentrations of civilians, leading to civilian deaths.