The first two were arrested Friday evening in Nazareth, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Gilboa Prison, where the explosion occurred, while two other fugitives were picked up early Saturday in the village of Nazareth. ‘Umm Al-Ghanam, approximately. 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the prison.
Photos and videos circulating on social media on Friday evening show the first two men, Mahmoud Al-Ardda and Yacoub Al-Qadri, sitting separately in police vehicles while officers secure them after their arrest.
A police statement on Saturday said Zakaria Zubeidi and Mohammed Al-Ardda were found in a truck parking lot after an operation involving soldiers, police and intelligence agents.
The video released by police showed the two men (blindfolded and handcuffed) were being driven into police vehicles after their arrest.
The news of the reconquest will slightly ease the pressure on the Israeli authorities who left behind after it emerged that the six men were able to take advantage of the underground corridors built to transport the prison drainage system to help them escape.
Israeli media have also reported that the prison’s watchtowers were left unmanned or that guards were asleep as the blast occurred. Authorities have not confirmed these reports.
It also appeared in the Israeli media that the plans of the prison, which showed the corridors, had been posted on the Internet by the architects of the building, although it is not known whether the prisoners took advantage of the information to escape.
Five of the men are members of the Islamic Jihad militant group. Mohammed Al-Ardda and Mahmoud Al-Ardda are brothers. Zubeidi is a former commander of the armed wing of the largest Palestinian faction, Fatah.
The escape has prompted enhanced security measures in Israeli prisons, including the transfer of prisoners to other facilities, according to a spokesman for the Israeli Prison Service, who said Palestinian prisoners had revolted and set fire to their cells. in protest.
In an almost certain development thought in response to the reconquest of men, a rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel on Friday afternoon. The launch was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, the military said, and no damage was reported.
In a retaliatory strike, the Israeli army said it had attacked a Hamas machine gun site, a storage site and a military enclosure in Gaza.
The escape of the six prisoners has captured all the attention of Israelis and Palestinians all week. For many Palestinians, the break with prison has become a symbol of resistance. Mustafa Barghouti, a longtime independent voice in Palestinian politics, said the news that some of the men had been recovered “does not diminish their heroic achievement.”
“Six militants fought and continue to fight with their bare hands for days in a brave battle against the Israeli army and all its security services and technical and financial capabilities,” he said.
Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev thanked security forces for their efforts to recover four of the six men and promised that the remaining two fugitives would also be captured.
And he also confirmed reports in Israeli media that Israeli citizens of Israel had assisted the police in their hand-hunting, tweeting, “I want to thank the Israeli Arab citizens who helped capture the prisoners. For four days, the fugitives wandered believing they would find refuge and help among Israeli Arabs, but they were wrong. Wherever they went and were identified, Arab citizens rejected their request and called the police. Very good to all responsible citizens! “