On Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh praised the escape of six Palestinian detainees from an Israeli prison early Monday. Shtayyeh stated in a meeting with journalists in his office in Ramallah, "Every prisoner has the right to seek their freedom." He added, "We hold Israel responsible for the lives of our six sons; every prisoner has the right to escape from prison by any means."
Six Palestinians escaped from a high-security Israeli prison on Monday, reminiscent of Hollywood movie escapes, leaving the Jalbouh prison authorities staring at the hole they created in the floor of their cell and prompting celebrations among Palestinians in the streets. Israeli security forces continue their search and combing operations for the escaped detainees.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club reported that Israeli authorities have taken punitive measures against Islamic Jihad detainees in Israeli prisons, five of whom are among the escapees, while the sixth is a former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. The club added in a statement, "According to monitoring, these measures included a transfer operation, most notably moving prisoners held in Section (2) at Jalbouh prison, where about 16 prisoners were confirmed to be transferred to the Negev prison, among approximately 90 prisoners held there."
The club continued in its statement, "Furthermore, television stations in the prison were canceled, and five leaders of Islamic Jihad prisoners were transferred for interrogation, while extensive search operations were initiated in most prisons." The office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on Monday that he spoke with the Minister of Internal Security and "emphasized that this is a serious incident that requires security forces to exert comprehensive efforts" to locate the fugitives.
