By returning a non-Israeli corpse and just seven of 28 promised remains, Hamas confirms its deceit and decline. With executions, clan warfare, including the killing of “Mr. FAFO,” Gaza teeters on self-destruction — even as Washington and Jerusalem align on how to finish dismantling Hamas’s military machine and infrastructure, the easy way or the hard way.

Hamas’s return of a misidentified body — again — was received in Israel not with surprise, but grim recognition. It was the same cynical ploy seen in the Shiri Bibas case: misinformation masquerading as compliance. The IDF confirmed that the corpse did not match any missing Israeli hostage, while only seven of 28 pledged bodies have been returned. The rest, Hamas claims, are lost beneath rubble or unidentifiable.

For the families of the hostages, it was another cruel twist. “They are tormenting us a second time,” said one relative outside the Hostages’ Families Headquarters in Tel Aviv. Officials within the Prime Minister’s Office describe the deception as “systematic psychological warfare,” not logistical failure.

Seven of Twenty-Eight, and a Deal on the Brink

Under the U.S.-mediated framework, Hamas was to deliver all remains before Israel advanced to the next prisoner-release stage. But the incomplete handover, coupled with the wrong body, has frozen the process. Senior ministers across party lines now argue that the next round of Palestinian prisoner releases must be suspended until Hamas fully complies.

“It is not a question of revenge, but of credibility,” said one cabinet member. “We cannot trade prisoners for lies.”

The defense establishment, aware that dozens of live hostages are still inside Gaza, is advocating a cautious pause rather than full cancellation. Israeli sources say Jerusalem is maintaining quiet backchannels through Qatar and Egypt, demanding verifiable lists, DNA evidence, and video proof before any further exchange proceeds.

Executions and the Death of “Mr. FAFO”

Inside Gaza, Hamas’s own cohesion is disintegrating. Over the past week, masked fighters have executed alleged collaborators in public squares — scenes captured on video and condemned even by Palestinian groups. At least a dozen men have been killed in Khan Younis and Gaza City, part of a campaign Hamas calls “internal cleansing.”

Among the dead is Saleh Aljafarawi, known to hundreds of thousands of social-media followers as “Mr. FAFO.” Once a flamboyant pro-Hamas influencer, he was found shot in the head in the Sabra neighborhood. No faction has claimed responsibility. Reports in the Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel say he was likely killed in the crossfire of rival militias, or possibly by elements inside Hamas.

His killing — whether by feud or purge — highlights Gaza’s descent into lawlessness. The Doghmush, al-Mujaida, and other clans have rearmed, set up roadblocks, and taken over food distribution in their districts. “We are seeing a shift from one authoritarian power to many armed fiefdoms,” an Israeli intelligence officer said. “There’s no Gaza government anymore, just territories controlled by families.”

Netanyahu’s Line: Disarm or Destruction

In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again tied every stage of the ceasefire to verifiable demilitarization. “There will be no calm without disarmament,” he told ministers this week, paraphrasing President Trump’s message: “If Hamas doesn’t give up its weapons, all hell will break loose.”

The agreement itself, notably, was never signed in full detail — an omission that allows Israel to interpret compliance as it sees fit. That flexibility now works in Israel’s favor. Security sources confirm that “operational contingencies” have been approved for destroying Hamas’s remaining tunnel systems and weapons plants if the group continues to violate the terms.

Trump’s Restraint, Quiet Understanding

Publicly, Trump has urged both sides to “keep the peace” and avoid a return to full-scale fighting. “No one wants escalation,” he said in recent remarks from Mar-a-Lago. “Israel has every right to defend itself, but this is the time for results, not another war.”

Behind that caution, however, U.S. and Israeli defense officials are believed to have reached a quiet understanding: while large-scale ground operations are off the table for now, precision strikes on tunnels, rocket depots, and weapons factories will continue under the radar. These targets are defined as “non-escalatory infrastructure operations” — designed to degrade Hamas’s war machine without breaking the ceasefire’s political frame.

According to Israeli analysts, several of those strikes have already occurred in the last week — discreet, deniable demolitions deep in abandoned combat zones, carried out by the Air Force or special engineering units. “It’s not escalation,” one retired general said, “it’s unfinished business.”

The Inevitable Reckoning

Israel’s patience is wearing thin, but its strategy remains methodical. The next moves — slowing prisoner releases, freezing aid convoys, and surgically removing Hamas’s remaining arms capability — reflect a desire to collapse Hamas without re-occupying Gaza.

Inside the Strip, the picture is one of decay: clan feuds, summary executions, and the mysterious killing of the movement’s own propagandists. For Jerusalem, that chaos is both validation and warning — proof that Hamas cannot govern, yet a reminder that no vacuum remains unfilled.

Trump’s insistence on restraint has bought a narrow window of calm. But Israel’s message is unchanged: if disarmament does not proceed, the operation to erase Hamas’s tunnels and factories will. Whether that happens under the banner of a ceasefire or renewed war may soon be academic.

Netanyahu summed up Israel’s position bluntly in his latest statement: “We will not wait forever. Hamas has one choice — surrender its weapons, or lose them.”