Six Palestinian Prisoners Escape From Israel's High-Security Prison, One Of Them Believed To Be Military Wing Commander

Prison illustration. (Unsplash/@yoavaziz)

JAKARTA - Six Palestinians escaped from a high-security Israeli prison on Monday, Kan Israel public radio reported, identifying them as members of a militant group.

It said five of the detainees were members of the Islamic Jihad movement and one was a former commander of a militant group affiliated with the mainstream Fatah party.

According to the report, the six were cellmates and were released from Gilboa prison in northern Israel, where security forces launched a search. There was no immediate comment from prison authorities or the police.

While launching the Times of Israel, a massive search was carried out by deploying police, assisted by drones and helicopters in the area around the prison.

The six Palestinian prisoners are believed to have dug the tunnel they used to escape from Gilboa Prison, which is located northwest of Beit She'an, near the Sea of Galilee. They were reported missing around 4am, although it was possible to have escaped hours earlier.

One of the escaped prisoners is believed to be Zakaria Zubeidi, the former commander of Fatah's Jenin military wing, Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, who was convicted in several of the deadly attacks.

According to Channel 13, officials believe the six will try to flee to Jordan or Jenin. Meanwhile, Israel's prison service only said they were investigating the incident.

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— Liran Levi (@liran__levi) September 6, 2021