Hal (هل) characteristically asks whether a predication is true: a yes/no question (طلب التصديق). Unlike the interrogative hamza, it is not the ordinary construction for identifying one item among alternatives joined by connected am (أم).
«هَلْ قَامَ زَيْدٌ؟»
Did Zayd stand up?
«هَلْ عَمْرٌو قَاعِدٌ؟»
Is ʿAmr seated?
Both normally invite affirmation or negation. To ask whether Zayd or ʿAmr was the one who stood up, one uses an alternative-selecting construction with the hamza and connected am. The structures should not be treated as interchangeable.