Israeli army recaptures last 2 of 6 prison-break fugitives

Gulf Today Report

All six Palestinian fugitives who escaped a high-security Israeli jail through a tunnel dug under a sink are back in custody, closing an intense chapter, after Israeli forces on Sunday arrested the last two of six Palestinian prisoners.

The episode turned the inmates into heroes among many Palestinians when reports emerged they had burrowed out using tools as basic as a spoon.

READ MORE

Pentagon admits Aug. 29 drone strike in Afghanistan was tragic mistake

France recalls ambassadors to US, Australia in escalating row

The full weight of Israel's security arsenal was deployed to catch them, including aerial drones, checkpoints on roads and an army mission to Jenin where many of the men grew up.

The massive manhunt lasted almost a fortnight, with four of the six recaptured last week.

Israeli soldiers guard along a fence leading to the occupied West Bank by the village of Muqeibila. Reuters

The Israeli military said the two men surrendered in Jenin, their hometown in the occupied West Bank, after they were surrounded at a hideout that had been located with the help of "accurate intelligence.” It said the men, along with two others who allegedly assisted them, were taken for questioning.

Palestinian media reported that clashes erupted in Jenin when Israeli troops entered the city. But a spokesman for Israeli police said the two escapees, Munadil Infeiat and Ayham Kamamji, were arrested without resistance. The military said clashes broke out as the forces withdrew, with residents hurling rocks and explosives at troops who responded with live fire.

In a tweet on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces said the last two had surrendered "after being surrounded by security forces that acted precisely based on accurate intelligence".

The men, 35-year-old Ayham Kamamji and 26-year-old Munadel Infeiat, are both members of an armed Palestinian movement.