Israeli officials admit prison design 'failure' after six Palestinians break out in Shawshank Redemption-style escape by crawling through pre-made tunnel they found under a sink
- The Shawshank-esque escape from Gilboa prison was noticed at 3am local time
- The group of escapees includes a former militant leader in the West Bank
- Four of the six escapees were reportedly serving life sentences
- Police, the army and Israeli security agencies are now conducting a manhunt
- All 400 inmates at Gilboa are being relocated to avoid additional escapesIsraeli officials have admitted a design 'failure' after six Palestinians broke out in a Shawshank Redemption-style escape by crawling through a pre-made tunnel they found under a sink.
Police chief Arik Yaakov told local media: 'We're not talking about a tunnel which was dug, exactly. There's a failure in the building, which is on top of a base of poles. There is a space underneath - and apparently the prisoners used it.'
The escaped terrorists include Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former militant leader from the occupied West Bank, along with alleged fugitives of the Islamic Jihad movement.
Police, the army and agents from Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet have joined the search effort, deploying sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and checkpoints to create a perimeter around Gilboa.
Israeli media reports said it was possible the escapees had already returned to the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, while police spokesman said they might try to reach the Jordanian border roughly nine miles to the east.
Six Palestinians broke out of an Israeli prison on Monday through a tunnel dug beneath a sink
The tunnel burrowed deep into the ground and allowed the prisoners to escape underneath the prison boundaries
Police, the army and agents from Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet have joined the search effort
The prison, located about 2 miles from the boundary with the occupied West Bank, is one of the highest-security jails in Israel
Israeli authorities have deployed sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and checkpoints to create a perimeter around Gilboa
Four of the six men who escaped were serving life sentences, a Palestinian prisoners organisation said
In the hours following the escape, the IPS released footage that recalled the iconic 1994 prison escape film 'The Shawshank Redemption,' showing agents inspecting a narrow tunnel dug beneath a sink in the Gilboa prison, burrowing deep into the ground.
The prison, located about 2 miles from the boundary with the occupied West Bank, is one of the highest-security jails in Israel and houses Palestinians convicted or suspected of 'anti-Israeli activities', including deadly attacks.
The jail break occurred hours before Israel begins its High Holiday season, starting with Jewish New Year which begins at sundown.
Four of the six men who escaped were serving life sentences, a Palestinian prisoners organisation said.
In addition to perimeter checkpoints and sniffer dog forces, security teams have been dispatched on horses to cover as much ground as possible as they track down the fugitives.
It is not yet known how the fugitives managed to dig the tunnel through the concrete and the ground below, as the maximum security prison does not even allow metal cutlery.
However, the Times of Israel reported the prison has long dealt with extensive and elaborate smuggling operations into its facilities, while the IPS has said it believes the man had help from allies on the outside and communicated through clandestine mobile phones.
IPS released footage that recalled the iconic 1994 prison escape film 'The Shawshank Redemption,' showing agents inspecting a the tunnel (Pictured: The Shawshank Redemption, 1994)
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the escape 'a grave incident that requires an across-the-board effort by the security forces' to find the escapees
All 400 inmates detained at Gilboa over 'security offences' are being relocated in case additional tunnels have been dug beneath the facility, according to the IPS
In a statement released on Monday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the escape 'a grave incident that requires an across-the-board effort by the security forces' to find the escapees, and said he was receiving regular updates about the search.
All 400 inmates detained at Gilboa over 'security offences' are being relocated in case additional tunnels have been dug beneath the facility, according to the IPS.
Meanwhile, Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip, called the escape a 'courageous and heroic act' and a 'real defeat' for Israel's security system.
'This great victory proves again that the will and determination of our brave soldiers inside the prisons of the enemy cannot be defeated,' said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman.
Islamic Jihad, one of Gaza's most powerful armed groups after Hamas, lauded the jail break as 'a powerful blow to the occupation forces'.
The commander of the Israel Police's Northern District said they had not given specific security advice to residents of the area surrounding the prison, but urged them to exercise increased vigilance.
'There is no reason to change your routines, but there will be large numbers of troops within the cities of Afula and Beit She'an and in other towns. I do request additional awareness of anything suspicious,' Northern District chief Shimon Ben Shabo said in a statement.
Zubeidi was the former head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and a well-known figure among Palestinians and Israelis.
He was arrested over 'terror allegations' in 2019 in a West Bank village near Ramallah, and had faced charges in the past from the Palestinian Authority for taking part in a shooting attack on the residence of Jenin governor Qaddura Musa in 2002.
Musa died after suffering a heart attack during the incident, and Palestinian security forces arrested dozens of people, including Zubeidi, shortly afterwards.
Zubeidi in 2007 agreed to lay down his arms and went on to help found the Freedom Theatre, an arts centre in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
In 2011, the Freedom Theatre's well-known Israeli-Palestinian director Juliano Mer-Khamis was gunned down in Jenin's refugee camp, in an attack that remains unsolved.
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