TEL AVIV -- A Palestinian informant who said he was recruited by Israeli agents using Canadian identities and who was recently reported to have been killed is still alive, Palestinian officials said yesterday.

Last week, Israeli news outlets reported that the body of Akram Zatmeh, a 22-year-old Palestinian man, had been found in a dumpster, apparently murdered, perhaps shot. The story was attributed to unnamed "Palestinian officials." But Palestinian officials now say it was a case of mistaken identity.

Colonel Abu Khaled Esa of the Palestinian preventive security service confirmed yesterday that Mr. Zatmeh is being held at the organization's main jail in Gaza.

"He is still alive . . . healthy and in our custody." Mr. Zatmeh remains under arrest, charged with collaborating with the Israelis, and has yet to face trial.

No official explanation has been issued for the apparent case of mistaken identity, or for the reason why the misidentified man was killed. It is now believed that the body was actually that of Naim Abu Saif, a man widely thought to have played a role in the killing of a number of Palestinian collaborators.

It may be that Mr. Saif was murdered in retaliation for one of those alleged killings.

The man who is still alive, Mr. Zatmeh, caused a sensation among Palestinians and created a minor diplomatic flap in August when he claimed to have been recruited as an informant by Israeli agents posing as Canadians. He even claimed to have been brought to the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv by his recruiters.

The story captured the attention of Palestinians because Mr. Zatmeh also said that he helped the Israelis pinpoint the location of Saleh Shehadeh, the military leader of the group Hamas.

Israel held Mr. Shehadeh culpable for many suicide bombings, and killed the militant, along with 15 other people, in July by dropping a one-tonne bomb on his Gaza home.

The Israelis fiercely denied that their agents used Canadian covers in their recruitment of Mr. Zatmeh, saying his story had been concocted as propaganda.