Israeli officials claimed that Hamas "mistakenly" handed over the body of a Gazan instead of that of an Israeli hostage as part of the coordination between the sides.
However, according to Arab sources and a report by the Abu Ali Express Telegram channel, the act may have been intentional by Hamas and not a mistake.
According to the reports, the body that was transferred was that of Khalil Duas, a Palestinian Arab who resided in the Aqabat Jabr "refugee" camp near Jericho, but originally hailed from the northern Gaza Strip. Sources affiliated with the Fatah movement claim that Duas was wanted by the Palestinian Authority security forces for criminal, ethical, and security offenses.
In May, Hamas's armed wing spokesman at the time, Abu Obeida, published a video showing Duas, presenting him as an IDF soldier who was abducted in a tunnel in Jabaliya, with the intention of using it as propaganda.
The channel admin noted that "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."
He added 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. In my opinion, 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."