There were no instructions for people to alter their routines. He said he was receiving constant updates on the prison break, which occurred just hours before Israel was to mark the Jewish New Year. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called it a “grave incident” that required maximum effort by Israel’s various security branches. ![]() It appeared to be the biggest Palestinian escape from an Israeli prison since 1987, when six militants from the Islamic Jihad group broke out of a heavily guarded prison in Gaza months before the outbreak of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel. The radio said the prisoners escaped through a tunnel from the Gilboa prison, just north of the West Bank, which is supposed to be one of Israel’s most secure facilities.Ī photo released by the prison service showed a narrow hole in the floor of a cell, and Israeli security forces could be seen examining a similar hole on a stretch of gravel just outside the walls of the prison. Israel’s Army Radio said 400 prisoners are being moved as a protective measure against any additional escape attempts. Israeli officials said they have erected roadblocks and are conducting patrols in the area. There was no immediate comment from the PA, but President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party praised the escape. Efforts to capture the escapees will likely draw attention to the Palestinian Authority’s security coordination with Israel, which is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. Palestinians consider prisoners held by Israel to be heroes of their national cause, and many celebrated the escape on social media. The prisoners appear to have gone into hiding and there was no indication Israeli authorities view them as an immediate threat. The escape marks an embarrassing security breach just ahead of the Jewish New Year, when Israelis flock to the north to enjoy beaches, campsites and the Sea of Galilee. Residents handed out coffee and sweets to passersby.Īn Israel Prison Service spokesperson said that the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.Ī photo published by Palestinian media shows the IDs of the six suspected escaped prisoners.Īn Israel Police spokesperson said there were not currently any security advisories in place for residents of the area following the incident, but urged them to exercise increased vigilance.TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Israel launched a massive manhunt in the country’s north and the occupied West Bank early Monday after six Palestinian prisoners tunneled out of their cell and escaped from a high-security facility in the biggest prison break of its kind in decades. In Jenin, Zubeidi’s hometown and perhaps the home of the other escapees as well, celebratory gunfire was heard Monday morning. Hamas, too, hailed the escape as a “heroic act of determination and willpower against the occupying forces.” The PIJ praised the escape on Monday morning as a “victory over the occupation.” The IDs of the six Palestinian terrorists who escaped from Gilboa Prison. Three of them had attempted escape in the past.Īn unnamed police source told Channel 12 the incident appeared to be “one of the gravest incidents” in recent memory.Īccording to Channel 13, Israeli security officials believe the six will attempt to flee to either Jordan or the Palestinian city of Jenin.Īrmy Radio said the men appeared to have received some outside help. The six were all in jail for life in connection with deadly attacks against Israelis, and all were considered highly dangerous. The hole dug by the terrorists from their prison cell. They were reported missing around 4 a.m., but may have fled hours earlier. The six were cellmates and tunneled out of Gilboa Prison in Beit Shean, where security forces launched a search. The brigades carried out deadly attacks against Israelis during a 2000-2005 Palestinian Intifada. They were identified by authorities as members of terrorist groups.įive of the prisoners belonged to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and one, Zakaria Zubeidi, was a former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a terrorist group affiliated with the Fatah faction. ![]() ![]() (Reuters/Gil Eliyahu)Ī massive manhunt was underway Monday morning after six Palestinians escaped from a high-security Israeli prison. Israeli security personnel stand together during searches outside Gilboa prison after six Palestinian terrorists broke out of it on Monday morning.
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