Palestinian prisoners escape from Israeli prison, apparently through tunnel

Jerusalem (CNN) – Israeli authorities are searching for six Palestinian militants who escaped from prison, apparently through a tunnel, sometime in the early hours of Monday.

The men escaped from Gilboa Prison, which is located between the Sea of ​​Galilee in Israel and the West Bank city of Jenin.

An image of a tunnel entrance – allegedly used by prisoners to escape – has been widely shared on Palestinian social media, with Israeli media reporting that the men used a tunnel to get out, but police have yet to confirm this.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a commander of the militant wing of the Palestinian political party Fatah, is one of the fugitives, according to a Palestinian prisoner support group. The other five are reported to be members of the militant group Islamic Jihad.

Gilboa Prison in Israel.

Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the prison break was a “great heroic act” and a “severe slap on the Israeli army and the entire system in Israel.”

Israeli police say the intelligence services are involved in a large police operation to try to find the men. Drones and helicopters are also being used in the hunt, police said.