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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli police were on high alert today over fears of widespread violence today, after the Hamas terror group declared a “day of rage” in solidarity with six Palestinian security prisoners who broke out of jail earlier this week and remain on the run.
The IDF cancelled all leave for soldiers stationed in the West Bank as it geared up for possible clashes following Friday prayers.
Police stepped up their alert status to the second-highest level across the country and also diverted forces to bolster the prison services that have been faced with rioting inside prisons.
On Monday morning, the six fugitives escaped from the high-security Gilboa Prison in northern Israel, making their way out through their cell’s drainage system in one of the most serious prison breaks in Israel’s history. The escape has prompted a massive manhunt in northern Israel and the West Bank.
Four of the six fugitives were in jail for life in connection with deadly attacks against Israelis; the sixth – a notorious commander in Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terror group, Zakaria Zubeidi – was in prison while on trial for two dozen crimes, including attempted murder.
