Israel charges 6 recaptured Palestinian convicts who escaped Gilboa jail via a tunnel

The six political prisoners from Palestine who were recaptured last month after they escaped through a tunnel from an Israeli high-security jail were charged on October 3, Sunday. As per the prosecutor's statement, the six men were accused of fleeing the Gilboa jail in northern Israel, whereas five others were accused of assisting them in escaping. 

An Israeli KAN channel reported that the indictment was filed by the Nazareth central court's attorney, who charged the six convicts for illegally leaving their imprisonment. However, they were not accused of any terror-related offences in the indictment.

Following an inquiry by Israel's internal security organisation Shin Bet, the six recaptured Palestinian prisoners were turned over to the Israeli prison authorities on Thursday. As per Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth report, they were put in solitary confinement in several jails. 

According to the Anadolu Agency website, six Palestinian prisoners - Munadil Nufey'at, Iham Kamamji, Yaqoub Qadiri, Zakaria Zubeidi, Mahmoud al-Arida and Mohammed al-Arida, fled the Gilboa jail on September 6 by constructing a tunnel from their prison cells to the exterior. 

The six prisoners include 5 members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation and one from the Fatah faction's armed branch of the Palestinian Authority who were given lengthy jail terms which even include life imprisonment. 

How did the Palestinian prisoners orchestrate the escape? 

The charge sheet states that the accused started building a tunnel underneath the jail cell's toilet sink in late 2020, Insider Voice reported. The indictment reveals that the convicts completed the digging job in shifts on a regular basis, altering their pattern to evade being detected, while utilising makeshift excavation equipment. 

After being apprehended, one of the detainees, Mahmoud Abdullah al-Ardah who was 46, stated that he dug the tunnel with spoons, plates, as well as the handle of a kettle. According to the indictment, the 30-metre-long tunnel, which finishes outside the prison walls, was completed by September 5, and the 6 men fled that night.

Later, during an Israeli search operation in September, all six were caught in groups. Israel has opened an inquiry on how the convicts managed to pull off such an escape attempt. 

Presently, Israel holds nearly 4,650 Palestinians in several prisons. As per data published by the human rights organisation Addameer, approximately 200 of the prisoners are minors, whereas 520 are administrative convicts, indicating they were being detained without accusation or trial. 

(Image: AP)