The fourth prisoner exchange operation in Gaza saw the appearance of Haitham Al-Hawajri, the commander of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades’ Al-Shati Battalion, whom Israel had previously claimed to have assassinated.  

During the exchange, held at Gaza’s port, Al-Hawajri was seen on the platform overseeing the handover of Israeli-American captive Keith Shimoncel Segal. This contradicts the Israeli military’s announcement in December 2023 that he had been killed in an airstrike.  

Al-Hawajri was accompanied by dozens of fighters from the Al-Shati Battalion, along with members of other brigades from Gaza City, such as the Al-Tuffah Battalion.

Notably, Al-Qassam used an Israeli military vehicle, captured during the October 7 attack, in the handover ceremony, concealing it until the last moment.  

Al-Qassam Brigades strategically use these prisoner exchanges to send direct and indirect messages to Israel, exposing the failure of its assassination operations and reinforcing the presence of its leadership.  

This marks the second incident undermining Israeli intelligence reports, following the case of Hussein Fayad, commander of the Beit Hanoun Battalion, whom Israel claimed to have assassinated three times before he reappeared after the ceasefire agreement.  

Recently, the Israeli military admitted that it had not killed Fayad in May 2024, after a video surfaced confirming he was alive.  

For 15 months, Israeli political and security officials have claimed to have dismantled Hamas' 24 military battalions, reducing them to fragmented groups. However, the structured presence of Al-Qassam fighters during prisoner exchanges has consistently disproven these claims.