Six Palestinian prisoners escaped from Israel’s Gilboa prison through a tunnel they had been digging for years. Police describe the incident as one of the most serious, as Gilboa Prison is subject to austerity.
The fugitives are currently being searched by police, who use drones and helicopters for their actions. The military was also involved in the action. The men are expected to flee to the West Bank or Jordan.
Reports of 6 Palestinian security prisoners escaping from Gilboa prison in northern Israel by a tunnel. One of them is reported to be Zakaria Zubeidi, former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) September 6, 2021
The prisoners escaped no later than 4 am local time. Three of them tried to escape earlier. According to media reports, they were all sentenced to life in prison for the deadly attacks on Israelis. They have dangerous statuses.
Five of them were allegedly active in the Islamic Jihad group, a Palestinian organization considered paramilitary and terrorist. In turn, the sixth refugee was a former commander of the armed group of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, affiliated with the main Palestinian Fatah party. All in the past were active in the city of Jenin on the Northwest Coast.
Gilboa Prison is located in the northern part of the country, near the Sea of Galilee.