Israel Police on Shabbos captured four of the six Palestinian security prisoners who tunneled out of a high-security prison in northern Israel five days ago. Two of the fugitives were captured in Nazareth on Friday night and two others, including terrorist commander Zakaria Zubeidi, were captured hours later in the nearby town of Umm al-Ghanam.

Unlike what was previously believed, the escapees did not appear to have received outside assistance after their escape and were found wandering by foot, unarmed, exhausted and hungry.

The fugitives had tried appealing to Arab-Israelis in Nazareth and nearby towns for food and assistance but the local Arabs rebuffed their requests and instead reported them to the police, with the police receiving dozens of phone calls from Arab-Israelis since the escape.

“The escapees wandered around for four days believing they would find shelter and assistance among Arab Israelis, but they were mistaken,” Public Security Minister Omer Barlev stated. “Everywhere they turned, Arab citizens refused their requests and called police. Much respect to all the responsible citizens!”

תיעוד מהמעצר של זכרייה זביידי ומוחמד עארידה לפנות בוקר אחרי שהסתתרו בחניון משאיות ליד שיבלי pic.twitter.com/tvB3Ehz7tA

— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) September 11, 2021

3 גששים במילואים שחזרו את נתיב הבריחה – והביאו לתפיסת זביידי

אין על השיטות של פעם pic.twitter.com/9HwyC2bybY

— 🇮🇱Avi Noga🇮🇱 (@AviNoga3) September 11, 2021

Escaping Gilboa Prison was purely due to the incompetence and blunders of the Prisons Service. The four escapees arrested so far had no real plan outside of the jail, and had no outside help. Rummaging through bins and hiding under a truck…

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 11, 2021

As soon as the news about the capture of the two fugitives was confirmed Friday, a flurry of bitter posts expressing disappointment and shock filled Palestinian social media.

Israel said late Saturday that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired a rocket toward Israel that was intercepted by Israeli air defenses. The Israeli military said it responded with airstrikes on a series of Hamas targets in Gaza. Israel says it holds Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, responsible for all rocket fire emanating from the territory.

There was no immediate reaction from the Palestinian Authority, but Abdeltaif al-Qanou, a spokesman for the Gaza-ruling Hamas movement, said despite the re-arrest, the prisoners have “scored a victory and harmed the prestige of the Israeli security system.”

The escape has exposed major flaws in Israel’s prison service and set off days of angry criticism and finger-pointing. The men escaped through a hole in the floor of their shared cell, tunneled through a hole outside the prison and according to media reports, escaped past a sleeping prison guard.

It has also increased tension between Israel and the Palestinians.

Earlier on Friday, Hamas had called for “a day of rage” to protest Israeli crackdown against imprisoned Palestinians, but the day passed without major confrontation. In Jerusalem, a Palestinian suspected attacker died shortly after being shot by Israeli police in the volatile Old City, where he had reportedly tried to stab officers. Police said one officer was lightly wounded in the leg.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)