Israeli forces detain relatives of Gilboa jailbreaker in home raids

Late on Tuesday, Israeli forces raided two houses belonging to the family of Yaqoub Qadri, one of the six detainees who had escaped from the Israeli Gilboa prison early in September and have since been recaptured.

Israeli forces poured into the West Bank town of Bir Al Basha, near the city of Jenin, and surrounded the houses of two brothers of Yaqoub Qadri. His nephew Arkan Qadri, who witnessed the raid, told The New Arab that “the Israeli army came in after 11pm, smashed down the doors and asked for Mohammad and Ali, Yaqoub’s brothers.”

According to Arkan, the Israeli officer explicitly threatened to wreck the houses, before beginning a violent search. “They turned everything upside down, the bedrooms, the living rooms, the kitchen, they left nothing in its place”, he explained. “Children were locked inside hearing everything”, said Arkan.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

#شاهد آثار الدمار والخراب الذي ألحقته قوات الاحتـــ ــلال بمنزل قادري غوادرة خلال اقتحام قرية بير الباشا جنوب جنين pic.twitter.com/gbYCAeZoUR

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) October 27, 2021

'Not the first time'

Six members of the Qadri family were arrested during the raid but one of them was released on Wednesday morning, according to Yaqoub's nephew. Sixty-two-year-old Ali Qadri, Yaqoub’s elder brother, was also reportedly beaten up by Israeli soldiers and taken to the Jenin hospital, from where he was discharged with no serious injuries.

Since the Gilboa prison break Israeli forces have raided the homes of the six prisoners’ families several times, especially in the Jenin region. These incursions have often resulted in clashes with locals.

The six jail breakers are currently on trial for escaping the Gilboa prison. Last Sunday, Yaqoub Qadri appeared in court with another escapee, Zakaria Zubeidi. Footage circulated on social media shows Israeli prison guards apparently surrounding them and preventing them from addressing the media. The Gilboa escapees are now awaiting their next court hearing in November.

Israeli forces attacked the Palestinian prisoners Yacoub Qadri & Zakaria Zubaidi during their trial today to prevent them from raising the victory sign in front of the media. They were among the 6 heroes of Gilboa prison break of last September.#FreeThemAll#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/UwuIDtxWst

— Khalid Qasim (@khalidrqasim) October 24, 2021