Yaron Sankar
Yaron SankarPolice spokesperson

An Israeli prisoner who was serving two life sentences after being convicted of two murders on Sunday night escaped but was caught two hours later in Be’er Sheva.

The prisoner, Yaron Sankar, fled the Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where he had been hospitalized after his health deteriorated following an 80-day hunger strike.

Sankar, who was sentenced to prison more than a decade ago, escaped his guards by taxi shortly after 11:30 p.m. Sunday night. The Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service began a manhunt for him and he was captured at 1:30 a.m., some two hours after the escape.

Sankar was transferred to security forces for questioning after his capture.

"The Israel Prison Service views the incident as a serious one and has began investigating the circumstances of the case with a national investigation team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of the Prison Service, in full cooperation with the police," the Prison Service said Sunday night.

Before Sankar was captured, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan called for the establishment of a high-level commission of inquiry to examine the circumstances that led to the prisoner's escape.

"This is a most serious incident which we cannot allow to happen," Erdan said.