A man Hamas claimed was an IDF soldier they had captured was identified as Halil Dawas from the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp near Jericho in the West Bank. The terror group posted his picture in May. The IDF denied that any of its soldiers were captured.
Palestinian media outlets reported that Dawas was suspected of collaborating with Israel. Despite numerous arrests, residents of the camp where he resided said those detentions were efforts to clear him of suspicion that he had provided Israeli forces with the identities of Hamas operatives there.
Dawas had been under administrative detention—a procedure where authorities detain individuals without charge or trial, typically on security grounds, for extended periods—but the charges against him were sealed, according to Palestinian Authority security forces. They added that he likely escaped to Israel to avoid being taken into custody.
“He hasn’t been in the camp or in Jericho for a long time,” one resident of Aqbat Jaber said. “There are many rumors about him — that he is in Gaza and helping the IDF. We saw his picture, which proves he helped the IDF.”
A Hamas spokesperson also claimed the group had captured an IDF uniform, ammunition, communication devices and a Czech Scorpion rifle. According to reports, special IDF units use these types of weapons.