<p>Israel has recaptured four of the six Palestinian militants who escaped from a high-security prison earlier this week in one of the most daring breakouts in the country's history, police said Saturday.</p>.<p>Since Monday's jail break from Gilboa prison in northern Israel, the army has poured troops into the occupied West Bank for a massive manhunt.</p>.<p>The latest two fugitives to be recaptured, who include a prominent former militant leader, were found hiding in a lorry park just outside Nazareth in northern Israel, police said.</p>.<p>Zakaria Zubeidi, 46, headed the armed wing of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Jenin.</p>.<p>Mohammad Ardah, 39, was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for his role in Islamic Jihad's armed wing.</p>.<p>Police said they were "hiding in a parking lot for trucks".</p>.<p>"The hunt for the other two fugitives continues."</p>.<p>On Friday evening, police recaptured Islamic Jihad members Yaqub Qadri, 48, and Mahmud Abdullah Ardah, 45. The latter was the alleged mastermind of the escape.</p>.<p>"Police located (the two fugitives) and chased them in a helicopter," the police statement said.</p>.<p>"They offered no resistance when they were arrested in the south of Nazareth."</p>.<p>Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the "determined and persistent" operation that led to the recapture of the four convicts.</p>.<p>"The high alert must continue until the recapture of the two remaining prisoners," he added, referring to Islamic Jihad members Ayham Kamamji, 35, and Munadel Infeiat, 26.</p>.<p>Israeli media said residents alerted police after seeing two men searching litter bins for food.</p>.<p>Shortly after their recapture was announced Friday, the army said that a rocket had been fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, but was intercepted by air defences.</p>.<p>A second rocket from Gaza was fired towards southern Israel on Saturday night, but was also intercepted by air defences, the army said.</p>.<p>Israeli police and troops had conducted a huge search operation for the six prisoners since they escaped through a tunnel dug beneath a sink in a cell.</p>.<p>The army closed all the checkpoints connecting Israel and annexed east Jerusalem with the West Bank to prevent them from entering Palestinian population centres.</p>.<p>The six fugitives were all members of Palestinian militant groups who were convicted by Israeli courts of plotting or carrying out attacks against Israelis.</p>.<p>Mahmud Ardah, from Arraba near Jenin, was imprisoned in 1996 for attacks on Israel claimed by Islamic Jihad and was among four to receive a life sentence.</p>.<p>He was held in solitary confinement in 2014 after an escape tunnel was found at Israel's Shata prison, according to his Islamic Jihad biography.</p>.<p>One of his brothers, Mohammed, told AFP the family was saddened by his recapture but "happy he was free" for a few days.</p>.<p>"Our fear now is that he will be tortured, placed in solitary confinement or barred from receiving visitors or making phone calls," he said.</p>.<p>Israel's Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said on television Saturday that at least one of the two prisoners still on the run had probably made his way into Palestinian territory.</p>.<p>A statement from Islamic Jihad said the arrests would not erase the fact of their "heroic" escape.</p>.<p>Any attempt by the Israeli authorities to "take revenge" on the prisoners would be interpreted as a "declaration of war", it added.</p>.<p>The Islamist movement Hamas that runs Gaza hailed the "heroes" of the "tunnel of freedom".</p>.<p>Hamas's armed wing meanwhile warned in a statement that any future prisoner exchange with Israel "will be linked to the liberation of these heroes".</p>.<p>Since Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza, the Islamist group has held the bodies of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, although Hamas has never confirmed their deaths.</p>.<p>Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli citizens who entered Gaza alone and whose families say they have mental health issues.</p>.<p>Israel is meanwhile holding more than 5,000 Palestinians in its jails.</p>.<p>When news of the escape first broke on Monday, many people in Gaza and in Jenin took to the streets to celebrate.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>Israel has recaptured four of the six Palestinian militants who escaped from a high-security prison earlier this week in one of the most daring breakouts in the country's history, police said Saturday.</p>.<p>Since Monday's jail break from Gilboa prison in northern Israel, the army has poured troops into the occupied West Bank for a massive manhunt.</p>.<p>The latest two fugitives to be recaptured, who include a prominent former militant leader, were found hiding in a lorry park just outside Nazareth in northern Israel, police said.</p>.<p>Zakaria Zubeidi, 46, headed the armed wing of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Jenin.</p>.<p>Mohammad Ardah, 39, was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for his role in Islamic Jihad's armed wing.</p>.<p>Police said they were "hiding in a parking lot for trucks".</p>.<p>"The hunt for the other two fugitives continues."</p>.<p>On Friday evening, police recaptured Islamic Jihad members Yaqub Qadri, 48, and Mahmud Abdullah Ardah, 45. The latter was the alleged mastermind of the escape.</p>.<p>"Police located (the two fugitives) and chased them in a helicopter," the police statement said.</p>.<p>"They offered no resistance when they were arrested in the south of Nazareth."</p>.<p>Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the "determined and persistent" operation that led to the recapture of the four convicts.</p>.<p>"The high alert must continue until the recapture of the two remaining prisoners," he added, referring to Islamic Jihad members Ayham Kamamji, 35, and Munadel Infeiat, 26.</p>.<p>Israeli media said residents alerted police after seeing two men searching litter bins for food.</p>.<p>Shortly after their recapture was announced Friday, the army said that a rocket had been fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, but was intercepted by air defences.</p>.<p>A second rocket from Gaza was fired towards southern Israel on Saturday night, but was also intercepted by air defences, the army said.</p>.<p>Israeli police and troops had conducted a huge search operation for the six prisoners since they escaped through a tunnel dug beneath a sink in a cell.</p>.<p>The army closed all the checkpoints connecting Israel and annexed east Jerusalem with the West Bank to prevent them from entering Palestinian population centres.</p>.<p>The six fugitives were all members of Palestinian militant groups who were convicted by Israeli courts of plotting or carrying out attacks against Israelis.</p>.<p>Mahmud Ardah, from Arraba near Jenin, was imprisoned in 1996 for attacks on Israel claimed by Islamic Jihad and was among four to receive a life sentence.</p>.<p>He was held in solitary confinement in 2014 after an escape tunnel was found at Israel's Shata prison, according to his Islamic Jihad biography.</p>.<p>One of his brothers, Mohammed, told AFP the family was saddened by his recapture but "happy he was free" for a few days.</p>.<p>"Our fear now is that he will be tortured, placed in solitary confinement or barred from receiving visitors or making phone calls," he said.</p>.<p>Israel's Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said on television Saturday that at least one of the two prisoners still on the run had probably made his way into Palestinian territory.</p>.<p>A statement from Islamic Jihad said the arrests would not erase the fact of their "heroic" escape.</p>.<p>Any attempt by the Israeli authorities to "take revenge" on the prisoners would be interpreted as a "declaration of war", it added.</p>.<p>The Islamist movement Hamas that runs Gaza hailed the "heroes" of the "tunnel of freedom".</p>.<p>Hamas's armed wing meanwhile warned in a statement that any future prisoner exchange with Israel "will be linked to the liberation of these heroes".</p>.<p>Since Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza, the Islamist group has held the bodies of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, although Hamas has never confirmed their deaths.</p>.<p>Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli citizens who entered Gaza alone and whose families say they have mental health issues.</p>.<p>Israel is meanwhile holding more than 5,000 Palestinians in its jails.</p>.<p>When news of the escape first broke on Monday, many people in Gaza and in Jenin took to the streets to celebrate.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>