A protester holds a Palestinian flag and a spoon, which has become a symbol celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who recently tunneled out of Gilboa Prison, in Umm el-Fahm, Israel, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli media reports say two more of the six Palestinian who broke out of a maximum-security prison this week have been arrested at dawn Saturday, leaving two prisoners at large.
The prisoners captured included Zakaria Zubeidi, a well-known militant leader from the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. Photos showed Zubeidi and another unidentified man sitting on the ground, blindfolded and handcuffed. Armed Israeli soldiers in civilian uniforms posed behind them.
There were no immediate details where the latest two escapees had been caught. It came hours after Israeli police said they had caught two of the six Palestinians whose daring escape has captured the country's attention.
Shortly afterward, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket toward Israel that the Israeli military said was intercepted by air defenses. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, which is believed to be linked to the re-arrest.
On Friday night, police said the first two were caught in the Arab-majority city of Nazareth in northern Israel. The announcement identified them as Mahmoud Aradeh and Yakub Kadari - members of the Islamic Jihad militant group who were both serving life sentences. They showed no resistance. Israeli media reports said a civilian alerted police to two suspicious figures.
A video circulating on social media showed Israeli police shackling a man from his feet into the backseat of a police vehicle and asking the suspect for his name. The man, wearing jeans and green T-shirt, calmly identifies himself as Kadari and answers 'œyes'ť when asked whether he is one of the escapees. Kadari was serving two life sentences for attempted murder and bomb planting.
The six Palestinians tunneled out of the Gilboa prison on Monday, setting off a furious manhunt across Israel and in the West Bank.
For the Palestinians, the fugitives were 'œheroes'ť who succeeded in freeing themselves from multiple life sentences. Fighting against Israel and taking part in attacks against the Israeli military or even civilians is a source of pride for many.
In the Gaza Strip as well as in the West Bank, Palestinians had organized sit-ins and joyful gatherings to celebrate the prison break.
They escapees included four members of the militant group Islamic Jihad who were serving life sentences as well Zubeidi. All of the prisoners are from the nearby city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
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 the Palestinian social media sphere. 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 'œscored a victory and harmed the prestige of the Israeli security system.'ť
The escape has exposed major flaws in Israel's prison service and set off days of angry criticism and finger pointing. It has also increased tension between Israel and the Palestinians.
Earlier Friday, Hamas had called for 'œa day of rage'ť to protest Israeli crackdown against imprisoned Palestinians, but the day passed without major confrontation. But in Jerusalem, a Palestinian suspected attacker died shortly after being wounded by Israeli police gunfire in the town's Old City, where he had reportedly tried to stab officers.
Protesters wave a Palestinian flag and one in the crowd holds a spoon, which has become a symbol celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who tunneled out of Gilboa Prison, after Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The Associated Press
An Israeli border police officer works in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Amid increased Israeli-Palestinian tension over a recent prison break, Israeli police said an officer was lightly injured by a firearm in an attempt to thwart a suspected stabbing attack in the area. The Police, which arrested the suspect, did not immediately say how the officer was injured. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
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Israeli police maneuver through the Al Aqsa Mosque compound after Friday prayers to clear a protest a protest celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who tunneled out of Gilboa Prison, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The Associated Press
A Palestinian man prays at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque during Friday prayers before a protest celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who recently tunneled out of the Gilboa Prison, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
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Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who recently tunneled out of the Gilboa Prison, after Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2005 file photo, Zakaria Zubeidi, then West Bank leader of Palestinian militant group Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades votes during the Palestinian election, in the West Bank town of Jenin. For nearly two decades, Zubeidi has been an object of fascination for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who have seen his progression from a child actor to a swaggering militant, to the scarred face of a West Bank theater promoting 'cultural resistance' to Israeli occupation. In his latest act, he has emerged as one of Israel's most wanted fugitives after tunneling out of a high-security prison on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 with five other Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2004 file photo, then Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and front-runner in the upcoming presidential elections, is carried by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades leader in West Bank, Zakaria Zubeidi, center left, during a campaign visit to the Jenin refugee camp. For nearly two decades, Zubeidi has been an object of fascination for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who have seen his progression from a child actor to a swaggering militant, to the scarred face of a West Bank theater promoting 'cultural resistance' to Israeli occupation. In his latest act, he has emerged as one of Israel's most wanted fugitives after tunneling out of a high-security prison on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 with five other Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Enric Marti, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 31, 200 file photo, Palestinian Zakaria Zubeidi, then leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militant group in the West Bank town of Jenin, holds a picture of Yasser Arafat, as he poses with other militants after they set the town's Governorate on fire overnight. For nearly two decades, Zubeidi has been an object of fascination for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who have seen his progression from a child actor to a swaggering militant, to the scarred face of a West Bank theater promoting 'cultural resistance' to Israeli occupation. In his latest act, he has emerged as one of Israel's most wanted fugitives after tunneling out of a high-security prison on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 with five other Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 2, 2005 file photo, Zakaria Zubeidi, center, then local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and other militants march in the West Bank town of Jenin during a rally to mark the third anniversary of the assault by the Israeli army on the Jenin refugee camp. For nearly two decades, Zubeidi has been an object of fascination for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who have seen his progression from a child actor to a swaggering militant, to the scarred face of a West Bank theater promoting 'cultural resistance' to Israeli occupation. In his latest act, he has emerged as one of Israel's most wanted fugitives after tunneling out of a high-security prison on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 with five other Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2004 file photo, Zakaria Zubeidi, then leader in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the West Bank, is carried by supporters during a presidential elections campaign rally in support of Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank town of Jenin. For nearly two decades, Zubeidi has been an object of fascination for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who have seen his progression from a child actor to a swaggering militant, to the scarred face of a West Bank theater promoting 'cultural resistance' to Israeli occupation. In his latest act, he has emerged as one of Israel's most wanted fugitives after tunneling out of a high-security prison on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, with five other Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
The Associated Press
Members of the group Choosing Life, that includes relatives of Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks, protest outside of Ofer Prison near Jerusalem, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, after the escape of six Palestinian prisoners from Gilboa prison on Monday. At left is a poster depicting slain Israelis; at right is a poster that reads: "compassion for the cruel is cruel to the murdered." (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The Associated Press
Protesters chant anti Israel slogans and carry placards that read "six lions found the light at the end of the tunnel, freedom for our prisoners," during a rally supporting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Pressure built around Israel's prison system Wednesday after fires broke out at several facilities and the government searched for six Palestinian escapees who have been on the run since they tunneled out two days earlier. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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A protester holds a spoon, which has become a symbol celebrating the six Palestinian prisoners who recently tunneled out of Gilboa Prison, in Umm el-Fahm, Israel, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Palestinian protesters march into the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Amid increased Israeli-Palestinian tension over a recent prison break, Israeli police said an officer was lightly injured by a firearm in an attempt to thwart a suspected stabbing attack in the area. The Police, which arrested the suspect, did not immediately say how the officer was injured. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The Associated Press
Israeli police stand guard at a checkpoint in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Amid increased Israeli-Palestinian tension over a recent prison break, Israeli police said an officer was lightly injured by a firearm in an attempt to thwart a suspected stabbing attack in the area. The Police, which arrested the suspect, did not immediately say how the officer was injured. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
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