He's back: Zakaria Zubeidi - notorious mastermind of multiple deadly attacks against Israelis - released to Jenin
Zubeidi, the former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, played a key role in orchestrating multiple terror attacks during the Second Intifada.
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Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, is among the most high-profile terrorists released today (Thursday) in a deal that saw 110 Palestinian terrorists, including 30 minors, freed in exchange for three Israeli hostages.
Zubeidi, former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, was previously involved in multiple attacks during the Second Intifada and made headlines as one of the escapees in the 2021 Gilboa Prison break. He was convicted for his role in a 2002 attack in Beit She'an that killed six civilians.
Arrested in 1989 at just 14, he became involved with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. He was re-arrested in 1990 for attacking Israeli forces with stones and Molotov cocktails.
He later rose through the ranks of Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, and by 2001 was seriously injured in an explosion during a "military mission" that left permanent burn scars on his face.
Forced into hiding, Zubeidi evaded Israeli forces for years before agreeing in 2007 to surrender his weapons in exchange for amnesty under a Palestinian Authority deal. However, in 2011, Israel revoked his pardon, and he was arrested in 2019 for his alleged role in multiple shooting attacks near the Israeli settlement of Beit El.
Nicknamed "The Black Rat" by Israeli security services for his ability to evade capture, Zubeidi became a symbol of resistance in Jenin.
In 2021, Zubeidi briefly captured global attention when he and five other inmates escaped from Israel’s high-security Gilboa Prison through a tunnel dug beneath the walls. The dramatic breakout led to a massive manhunt, and he was recaptured five days later.
During his years in jail, three of Zubeidi's brothers, as well as his son Muhammad, were killed by the Israeli military.
Sources close to Zubeidi said that his first plans upon release were to visit the grave of his son, whose funeral he missed while in jail.