In a letter he sent through his lawyer, the mastermind behind Operation Freedom Tunnel, prisoner Mahmoud al-Arida said that the tunnel was dug in pursuit of freedom and in response to the martyrdom of prisoner Mohammad al-Ashqar in 2007.

Al-Arida said that they called the tunnel they dug "the path to al-Quds", emphasizing that the success of their breakout "has told the whole world that we are advocates of freedom and the rightful owners in the face of a ruthless oppression, and thus the world should stand by us in order to liberate our land."

According to al-Arida’s lawyer, this tunnel was dug in protest of the martyrdom of prisoner Kamal Abu Waer and against the prevalent tragic conditions and the miserable situation of female prisoners, not to mention the poor isolation conditions and the failure to implement the demands of the big prisoners’ strike in 2017.

Earlier, two lawyers charged with defending the prisoners of the "Freedom Tunnel" revealed details of the situation of Mohammad and Mahmoud al-Arida, confirming that they were subjected to torture and severe beatings.

Six prisoners had broken out of Gilboa prison near the occupied city of Beisan on September 6. This prison is considered one of the most fortified prisons of the Israeli occupation. 

According to Israeli sources, the prisoners who managed to escape through a tunnel are Zakaria al-Zubaidi, Munadel Yaqoub Nafi'at, Mohammad Qassem al-Arida, Yaqoub Mahmoud Qadri, Ayham Fouad Kamamji, Mahmoud Abdullah al-Arida, knowing that the last five are members of the Islamic Jihad Movement.