Israeli security forces recaptured the last two escaped prisoners from Gilboa Prison on Sunday. The two members of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group were arrested at daybreak in a house in Jenin, along with two accomplices. Two weeks after their escape, all six fugitives are now back in custody.
Several branches of the security forces cooperated in tracking down the wanted individuals. The air force provided reconnaissance images and directed ground forces during the arrest. The police deployed their anti-terrorist unit. According to the army, the wanted individuals surrendered when surrounded by security forces.
Arrest at dawn
The evening before, soldiers had already gone to Jenin to divert potential armed terrorists from the arrest operation. In recent days, terrorists from Islamic Jihad and Fatah had threatened that Israel would pay "a heavy price" should an arrest attempt be made.
Shortly before, Israeli Public Security Minister Omar Barlev (Labor Party) had deliberately made a false statement in a TV interview: He said that the police were searching for one of the suspects on Israeli territory. A spokesperson later confirmed, according to the news site "Times of Israel," that this was a hoax.
When more soldiers arrived on Sunday morning to carry out the arrest, there were minor clashes with residents; three people were wounded on the Palestinian side.
The two arrested terrorists are named Iham Kamamdschi and Munadil Naifjat. The other four, Mahmud al-Arida, Mohammed al-Arida, Jaqub Qadiri and Sakaria el-Subeidi, were captured on September 11.
Bennett: From a blunder to a success
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) thanked the heads of the security services for their professional work: “The event began with a major blunder. But you mobilized combined forces until the mission was completed.”
The escape is considered the most serious in Israeli history. The six prisoners escaped from Gilboa Prison through a tunnel. It is located about 13 kilometers southeast of Afula and is considered the most secure prison in the country.
