On October 14, Hamas handed over four bodies to Israel as part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Israeli forensic experts identified three of the bodies but said the fourth did not belong to them. Hamas insisted the fourth man was an Israeli soldier, reportedly stating, “It’s one of yours.”
In a sense, both sides may have been correct. The body was that of Khalil Dawas, a Palestinian from Jericho suspected of collaborating with Israeli forces. His story, like many in this conflict, is marked by contradictions, ambiguity, secrecy, and betrayal.
The Guardian spoke with residents of Jericho’s Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, including Palestinian fighters who claimed Dawas had once been among them before allegedly becoming an informant. Their accounts shed light on how Israeli military units enter Palestinian towns and recruit or pressure locals—through threats or money—to sustain the intelligence operations of the occupation. Israeli officials were also contacted for comment.
Dawas was born and raised in Jabaliya, Gaza. His family later moved to the West Bank, settling in the village of Tell near Nablus. Naser Shalwn, head of the Aqabat Jabr camp and a board member of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, described them as a modest family with five children who moved there in 2014.
In his twenties, Dawas joined a Palestinian faction—though it is unclear which one, as multiple groups operate in the camp. That same year, he and his brother were arrested, and Dawas spent several years in Israeli prisons over two separate arrests, totaling six and a half years. According to the Palestinian prisoners ministry, his last detention was in 2020 at Ofer prison, where he was held for six months without charge under administrative detention.
Camp sources suggest he may have been recruited as a collaborator during that six-month period. Since 1967, Israel has maintained an extensive intelligence network in the occupied territories, heavily reliant on Palestinian collaborators. Recruitment often involves coercion, such as leveraging work permits or exploiting personal information obtained from phones and emails. Israeli prisons are a common setting for such pressure, where detainees are particularly vulnerable.
The reasons behind Dawas’s alleged shift from detainee to collaborator remain unclear, as is often the case in such stories. A 2014 investigation by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth cited a Unit 8200 dissident describing various pressures used to force Palestinians to inform, including targeting individuals with secrets or urgent medical needs.
According to several faction members in Jericho, Dawas seemed changed after his release, with camp residents noticing unusual behavior.In the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, a man named Dawas began selling bullets at a suspiciously low price, raising alarms among local resistance members. Bullet smugglers in the West Bank often occupy a murky role, with Israeli authorities sometimes using them as informants to track buyers and identify militants.
As doubts grew in the community, an Israeli raid on the camp in early 2023 confirmed many people’s suspicions. During that raid in February, Israeli forces killed at least five Palestinian men. The IDF later stated it had withheld their bodies, claiming they were part of a Hamas cell.
Following the raid, Dawas was arrested by the Palestinian Authority on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. He was released in April due to lack of evidence but returned to a camp where he was no longer trusted. He was reportedly seized, tortured, and told to leave Jericho forever.
Community members described him as a traitor and a source of shame. While definitive proof of his collaboration was never established—a fact that may have spared his life—his fate, like that of many suspected informants, became uncertain. Exposed collaborators are typically relocated by Israeli authorities to undisclosed locations within Israel, where they receive support to start a new life.
Dawas then disappeared for a year. In May 2024, during the Gaza war, Hamas claimed its fighters had lured Israeli troops into a tunnel in Jabaliya. The group later published images of a bloodied body in military uniform and seized equipment. The body was identified as Dawas.
Upon recognition, people in his camp tried to storm his family home. His mother and brother sought help and were advised to publicly disown him to prevent reprisals. The family issued a statement the next day, saying his actions did not represent them or their principles.
His body remained in Gaza for over a year. When Hamas returned what it said were the bodies of four Israeli troops in October, forensic tests in Tel Aviv could only confirm three identities: Colonel Asaf Hamami, Captain Omer Maxim Neutra, and Staff Sergeant Oz Daniel, all killed on October 7.In October 2023, a security official later confirmed that the remains of the fourth individual were Palestinian.
Hamas claimed that Dawas had been wearing an Israeli uniform, with a senior official telling Al Jazeera the body “belonged to a soldier captured by the Qassam Brigades,” the group’s military wing.
“A few days later, the family called me,” Shalwn said. “They told me the Israelis had offered to return Khalil’s body—and they refused.”
A Palestinian Authority official from the Jericho governorate told the Guardian: “People in the camp said that accepting and burying the body would only encourage others to follow his path. So he will not be accepted, dead or alive.”
In Palestinian society, alleged collaborators face deep stigma. Families may avoid public funerals for fear of reprisals, and officials sometimes delay or restrict burials to prevent unrest. “I’ve heard of cases where cemetery officials refused to bury collaborators, and other cases where bodies were taken from graves and burned,” said Cohen, a specialist in Jewish-Arab relations.
The Guardian reached out to Dawas’s brother several times, but despite repeated attempts, he declined to speak.
Investigating the lives of collaborators rarely leads anywhere—it is a subject shrouded in silence, awkward for Israel and fraught with shame for Palestinians.
“Israelis tend not to speak about collaborators, both for security reasons and because dubious methods were sometimes used in recruiting or handling them,” Cohen said. “Palestinians tend to distance themselves from the phenomenon and from collaborators as individuals.”
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency and the IDF both declined to comment for this story.
Speaking anonymously, a brigadier general in the Palestinian Authority’s security services told the Guardian: “What he [Dawas] did is unacceptable. He is a disgrace to all Palestinians.”
To this day, no one knows where Dawas’s remains are.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Dead or alive he will not be forgiven The Peril Facing Palestinians Accused of Aiding Israel
BeginnerLevel Questions
What does Dead or alive he will not be forgiven mean
This phrase refers to a severe threat or punishment issued by some Palestinian armed factions against individuals they accuse of collaborating with Israeli authorities It signifies that the accused will be pursued and punished regardless of the outcome
Who is considered a collaborator or someone aiding Israel
This label can be applied broadly to Palestinians accused of providing information to Israeli security forces working with Israeli settlements or engaging in any activity perceived as helping the Israeli state against Palestinian interests The definition is often vague and can be applied subjectively
Why is this considered such a serious accusation
Within the context of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict aiding the opposing side is viewed as a profound betrayal of the national cause It is seen as directly contributing to the arrest injury or death of other Palestinians and the entrenchment of occupation
What typically happens to someone accused of this
Accusations can lead to extrajudicial punishment including abduction torture and execution by militant groups These acts often occur outside the formal legal system Public accusations alone can lead to social ostracization and threats against the individual and their family
Is there a legal process for these accusations
In areas under the Palestinian Authority there are formal legal codes and courts However in areas where armed groups operate with significant autonomy accusations are often handled outside state law through militant courts or direct action with no guarantee of due process
Advanced Practical Questions
How are individuals usually accused or identified
Accusations can stem from rumors anonymous leaflets social media campaigns or confessions extracted from detainees Sometimes individuals are accused after being seen interacting with Israelis at checkpoints or after being released from Israeli detentiona circumstance that itself can raise suspicion
What is the historical context for this practice
The targeting of alleged collaborators has deep roots particularly since the First Intifada when grassroots committees sought to police collaboration It is a tactic used to enforce internal cohesion instill fear and eliminate perceived threats within a context of prolonged occupation and conflict
