Israeli security forces overnight Saturday-Sunday arrested the two remaining Palestinian security inmates who escaped from Gilboa prison in northern Israel nearly two weeks ago, the army said.
The arrests of the two dangerous fugitives — a week after the four other escaped prisoners were recaptured in northern Israel — brings to a close a massive manhunt following one of the worst jailbreaks in Israel’s history.
Iham Kamamji and Munadil Nafiyat, both members of the Islamic Jihad terror group, were apprehended in the West Bank city of Jenin, the Israel Defense Forces said early Sunday.
“The two terrorists were caught alive and were handed over for interrogation by the security forces,” the military said. They were captured following a joint operation by the IDF, Shin Bet security service, and the Yamam counter-terrorism police unit.
Palestinian media reports said there were exchanges of gunfire during the predawn arrest raid by Israeli special forces. There were no reports of Israeli or Palestinian casualties.
The two Palestinian fugitives did not resist arrest, surrendering after Israeli troops encircled the building where they were hiding.
Fouad Kamamji, Iham’s father, told The Associated Press that his son had called him when the Israeli troops surrounded the house and said he will surrender “in order not to endanger the house owners.”
Two alleged accomplices, reportedly Jenin residents, were also arrested in the raid. The Shin Bet security service said it was questioning both the fugitives and the accomplices.
כמאמג׳י ואינפיעאת לאחר המעצר pic.twitter.com/K5hghSsOc2
— Alon Ben-David (@alonbd) September 19, 2021
Kamamji was serving a life sentence at the time of the escape, for killing an 18-year-old Israeli in 2006, a murder he reportedly expressed pride in. Nafayat has not been charged with a crime other than being a member of the Islamic Jihad, and was being held under Israel’s practice of administrative detention, which allows it to imprison suspects without filing charges. Security officials had feared they could attempt to carry out a terror attack while on the run.
“As time passed, we knew they were in Jenin,” Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said early Sunday. “We prepared for several days for a complex mission and tonight, after receiving the information we had been waiting for, the signal was given to start the operation, with Yamam forces at the forefront.”
תיעוד נוסף של מעצר שני המחבלים בג׳נין. במערכת הבטחון מקווים שהתוצאה של 6:0 ללא נפגעים בקרב כוחות הביטחון או המחבלים העצורים תסייע לישראל לסגור את ארוע בריחת האסירים ללא הסלמה. לא ניתן לשלול אפשרות של ירי רקטות מצד הג׳יהאד האיסלמי בעזה. סוללות כיפת ברזל בעוטף בכוננות. pic.twitter.com/u73zuh1kye
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) September 18, 2021
The six Palestinian prisoners escaped from Gilboa Prison in the pre-dawn hours of September 6, making their way out through their cell’s drainage system and an empty space underneath the prison. They had reportedly begun digging in November, using plates and pan handles.
In this photo provided by Israel Police, Zakaria Zubeidi, left, and Mohammed al-Arida, two of six Palestinian security Prisoners who broke out of Gilboa Prison, are blindfolded and handcuffed after being recaptured in the Arab town of Umm al-Ghanam, northern Israel, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (Israeli Police via AP)
The escape exposed a series of failures at the prison. Among the apparent lapses were failure to learn lessons from previous escape attempts and several operational blunders, including unmanned watchtowers and sleeping guards.
Four of the six escapees, including notorious terror commander Zakaria Zubeidi, were caught by security forces last weekend. Yaqoub Qadiri and Mahmoud al-Arida, the latter reported to be the mastermind of the jailbreak, were arrested in the northern town of Nazareth.
In this Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 file photo, police officers and prison guards inspect the scene of a prison escape by six Palestinian prisoners, outside the Gilboa prison in Northern Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
Al-Arida, considered a senior Islamic Jihad member, was jailed for life for terrorist activity, including attacks in which soldiers were killed. Qadiri, also an Islamic Jihad member, was also serving life terms for acts of terrorism including the murder of an Israeli in 2004. Both men were reportedly involved in a 2014 attempt to break out of Gilboa.
Zubeidi, a notorious commander in Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terror group, was in prison while on trial for two dozen crimes, including attempted murder. The younger al-Arida, also an Islamic Jihad member was arrested in 2002 on terror offenses and sentenced to life in prison.
Israeli security forces arrest the remaining two Palestinian fugitives in Jenin, West Bank, on September 19, 2021 (screen capture: Twitter)
Among the Palestinians, the fugitives have been widely regarded as “heroes” who succeeded in freeing themselves from multiple life sentences. The jailbreak was followed by heightened tensions in the West Bank, a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, several other attack attempts, and sporadic rocket fire from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel.
AP contributed to this report.