Israeli authorities have narrowed down the search areas for the remaining Palestinian prisoners among the six who escaped from the highly secure Gilboa prison to just two regions. The Israeli search operations for Ayham Kamamji and Munadil Nafiat are focused in the Jezreel Valley in Galilee and Jenin in the West Bank, according to the "Times of Israel".
Israeli authorities apprehended two of the escapees in Nazareth on Friday night. Hours later, two more were captured in the nearby town of Shibli Um al-Ghanam. After escaping from Gilboa prison earlier last week, the six Palestinians walked to the nearby Arab town of Na’ura, about 7 kilometers from the prison, where they sought help from residents. Local residents refused to assist them and declined to help the fugitives reach the West Bank. They spent less than an hour in a local mosque where they showered and changed clothes before leaving the town, although Israeli investigators initially believed they spent their first night there.
After hearing reports of a large number of security forces deployed along the border with the West Bank, the six escapees decided to split into three groups and hide in northern Israel. Public broadcaster "Kan" reported that while the four who have been recaptured are largely cooperating during their interrogations, they have not been able to provide specific details about the whereabouts of the remaining two.
The newspaper "Haaretz" reported on Sunday that Israel has surveillance footage of one of the suspects crossing through a gap in the security fence near the village of Jalameh in the northern West Bank. Public Security Minister Omar Bar Lev stated in an interview with Channel 12 that Israeli authorities estimate that one of them has succeeded in reaching the West Bank. He added, "We will catch them."
Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi stated, "It is only a matter of time before the defense establishment reaches the other terrorists," and added, "We will not stop until they are captured." However, "Kan" reported that there are increasing concerns that efforts to apprehend the escapees could become more complicated if they have indeed reached the crowded Jenin refugee camp.
This would require an Israeli military raid, which could not only increase the likelihood of Israeli casualties but also make it more difficult to return the two prisoners alive. Israeli officials have indicated that killing the two could likely spark retaliatory attacks from the Islamic Jihad movement, leading to an escalation of violence.
