Hamas Accused of Deliberately Misidentifying Body in Hostage Exchange

Israeli officials claim that Hamas “mistakenly” delivered the body of a Palestinian man instead of an Israeli hostage during a recent exchange, but emerging reports suggest this may have been a deliberate act rather than an error.

According to multiple Arab sources and information from the Abu Ali Express Telegram channel, the incident appears to be part of an intentional strategy by Hamas to test Israeli responses and complicate negotiations over hostage returns.

The body in question has been identified as that of Khalil Duas, a Palestinian who lived in the Aqabat Jabr camp near Jericho but originally came from northern Gaza. Sources connected to the Fatah movement report that Duas was wanted by Palestinian Authority security forces for various criminal, ethical, and security violations before his death.

The controversy deepened when it was revealed that Hamas had previously used Duas in a propaganda operation. In May, Abu Obeida, then spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, released video footage showing Duas being presented as an captured Israeli soldier who had been taken in a tunnel in Jabaliya. This deliberate misrepresentation months ago adds credibility to claims that the recent body exchange was not a simple mistake.

“Hamas’s choice to return the body of Khalil Duas as an ‘Israeli soldier’ shows that Hamas continues to test Israel’s limits and keeps playing games. It’s totally on purpose,” noted the administrator of the Abu Ali Express channel, which monitors developments in the region.

The channel further suggested that Hamas “is aware of the effect that this has in Israel, which indicates its intentions for the rest of the process of returning the bodies,” and recommended that “Israel needs to take an especially aggressive stance, especially with this, and not to normalize Hamas’s games with hostages’ bodies; otherwise, it will just increase.”

This incident occurs against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas, with hostage negotiations remaining one of the most sensitive aspects of the conflict. Since the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, the fate of Israeli hostages has been a central concern for the Israeli government and public.

The handling of deceased hostages adds another layer of complexity to already difficult negotiations. For families of those taken by Hamas, each such incident prolongs their uncertainty and suffering, while also creating additional diplomatic and military considerations for Israeli authorities.

International mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, have been working to facilitate hostage releases and ceasefire discussions, but incidents like this threaten to derail progress. The deliberate misidentification of bodies not only violates humanitarian principles but also undermines trust in any agreements.

Military and intelligence analysts suggest that Hamas may be employing such tactics to maintain psychological pressure on Israeli society while extracting maximum concessions in any potential prisoner exchange or ceasefire deal.

The incident highlights the ongoing challenges in resolving the hostage crisis, with Hamas apparently willing to manipulate even the most sensitive humanitarian aspects of the conflict for strategic advantage. As negotiations continue, Israeli officials must now determine how to respond to what appears to be a calculated provocation rather than a simple case of mistaken identity.