IOF Extends Detention of the 6 Gilboa Prisoners
The Israeli occupation court extends the detention period of the 6 prisoners who were re-arrested after their successful breakout from Gilboa Prison.
An Israeli occupation court on Wednesday extended the detention period of the six Palestinian prisoners who broke out of Gilboa prison for further 5 days, under the pretext of concluding the inquiry report and submitting indictments to the Israeli Prosecution.
The session was held via Zoom in the presence of a defense team consisting of 7 lawyers from the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs, according to a press release by the Commission.
On September 10, the Israeli occupation forces arrested the first two prisoners from Gilboa prison, Yaqoub Qadri and Mahmoud al-Arida. Then, on September 11, it arrested two others, Zakaria al-Zubaidi and Mohammad al-Arida.
On 19 September, Ayham Kamamji and Munadel Nafi'at, the two remaining prisoners, were arrested.
The detention period of five other Palestinian prisoners has also been extended, according to the Commission.
The prisoners are Mahmoud Abu Ashreen, Qusai Merhi, Ali Abu Bakr, Muhammad Abu Bakr, and Iyad Jaradat.
The Mohaja Al-Quds Foundation for Martyrs, Prisoners, and the Wounded announced the end of the probe, adding that the occupation prosecution is expected to file an indictment next Sunday.
Gilboa prison break is a flagrant failure
Israeli media reported the frustration of the former commander of Gilboa prison upon the escape of the 6 Palestinian prisoners.
In an interview for the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth, the former Commander described the incident as shameful and as the most serious accident that could happen, while admitting a miserable fail. The Commander revealed that this is not the first escape and that there have always been such attempts, pointing out that Gilboa Prison is a solid facility where the prisoners who are the "most dangerous" to "Israel" are held.
Israeli media reported the occupation's Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked as saying that the Gilboa Prison escape is a serious failure that cannot be covered up, as it exposed a series of failures in the prison service.
According to Israeli Channel 12, Shaked said she believes that the PM's decision to form an official inquiry on the Gilboa escape and the prison service's failure is the right step to take.
Israeli Minister of Public Security Omar Bar-Lev, talking with Channel 12, described this failure as immense, saying "it was easier for me to cut some heads off, but this is why I formed a commission of inquiry."
In this context, Knesset Member Amichai Chekli told Channel 13 that "the Gilboa prison escape operation is one of the prison service's most serious failures."