CAPTURED

Israel Arrests Four Palestinians Who Escaped Max-Security Prison

The prisoners escaped on Monday, highlighting weaknesses in Israel’s security system.

Israel announced it arrested four of six Palestinian prisoners Saturday who escaped from a maximum-security prison Monday, capping a week of embarrassment for security forces in the country. The four prisoners were arrested in separate cities throughout the country, according to the Associated Press, with local residents in those cities turning in the escapees. Included in the arrests was Zakaria Zubeidi, a Palestinian who had taken part in a variety of uprisings against Israel before eventually receiving amnesty. Zubeidi was re-arrested in 2019 after being suspected of taking part in attacks. The other prisoners were part of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, and four of them were serving life sentences.

The incident highlighted deficiencies in Israel’s prison security, with officials angry with each other over who to blame. Some Palestinians offered a sign of solidarity with the prisoners Friday night, shooting a rocket into Israel from the Gaza strip. That led to a wave of airstrikes from Israeli forces.