The first two were arrested on Friday evening in Nazareth, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Gilboa prison, where two others were arrested in the early hours of Saturday in the village of Umm al-Ghanum. 25 kilometers (15 mi) from the prison.
Images and videos that went viral on social media on Friday evening showed the first two men – Mahmoud al-Arda and Yacoub al-Qadri – sitting separately in police vehicles as officers secure them after their arrest.
Police said in a statement on Saturday that Zakaria Zubaidi and Mohamed al-Arda were found in a truck parking lot after an operation by soldiers, police and intelligence officers.
Videos released by police showed two men – blindfolded and handcuffed – leading them to police vehicles after their arrest.
News of the recapture may have eased pressure on the Israeli authorities when it emerged that six men were able to take advantage of an underground passage built to carry the prison’s drainage system to help them escape. . Do you
Israeli media have also reported that the prison outpost was left unmanned, or the guards were sleeping, as the breakout occurred. Officials have not confirmed these reports.
It also appeared in the Israeli media that blueprints of the prison, showing the route, were uploaded to the Internet by building architects, although it is not known whether the prisoners took advantage of the information in their escape.
The five men are members of the militant Islamic Jihad group. Mohammed al-Arda and Mahmud al-Arda are brothers. Zubaidi is a former commander of the armed wing of Fatah, the largest Palestinian faction.
The escape led to increased security measures for other facilities, including the movement of prisoners in Israeli prisons, according to a spokesman for the Israel Prison Service, who said Palestinian prisoners rioted and set their cells on fire in protest. has given.
In a development almost certainly as a reaction to the men’s recapture, a rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel late Friday evening. The military said the launch was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, and there were no reports of any damage.
In a retaliatory strike, the Israeli military said it had attacked a Hamas machine gun post, storage site and military compound in Gaza.
The escape of six prisoners caught the full attention of Israelis and Palestinians throughout the week. The prison break has become a symbol of resistance for many Palestinians. Mustafa Bergouti, a longtime independent voice in Palestinian politics, said the recapture of some of the men “does not diminish their heroic achievement.”
“Six terrorists fought with their bare hands in a valiant battle against the Israeli military and all its security services and technical and financial capabilities, and are still fighting,” he said.
Israel’s Minister of Public Security Omar Barlev thanked security forces for their efforts to recapture four of the six men and promised that the remaining two would be captured.
And he also confirmed reports in Israeli media that Arab citizens of Israel had assisted the police in their search, tweeting, “I want to thank the Israeli Arab citizens who assisted in the capture of the prisoners. For four days , the fugitives continued to roam, believing they would find shelter and help among Israeli Arabs – but they were wrong. Wherever they went and were identified, Arab citizens rejected their plea and called the police. Well done to all responsible citizens!”
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