Six Palestinian fighters escape from high-security Israeli prison

A police officer keeps watch from an observation tower at the Gilboa Prison in northern Israel on September 6, 2021. - Six Palestinians escaped from a prison in northern Israel through a tunnel dug beneath a sink, triggering a massive manhunt for the group that includes a prominent ex-militant, officials said. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AFP)

JERUSALEM (Reuters): Six Palestinian fighters broke out of a maximum security Israeli prison on Monday (Sept 6) in a Hollywood-style escape that left their jailors peering through a hole in the floor of a cell, and had Palestinians celebrating in the streets.

Israeli security forces mounted a search in northern Israel after farmers tipped off police about suspicious figures seen in their fields in the early morning hours. Police then alerted officials at Gilboa prison, who discovered that the men had gone.