Last Monday, six Palestinian militants convicted of terror-related offenses escaped from Gilboa maximum security prison in northern Israel. The crisis has prompted alarm among Israeli security officials and the Israeli public, while Palestinians have taken to the streets to rally in solidarity with the fugitives. Simultaneously, we’ve witnessed an escalation on the Gaza front in response to the prison break, as renewed rocket attacks from Hamas have targeted Israeli cities. From Israeli prisons to the West Bank to Gaza, tensions appear to be rising. In this policy briefing, we spoke with Israel’s Channel 12 News journalist Ohad Hemo who provided additional context and details on the crisis, its implications on Israeli-Palestinian relations and the security situation in the West Bank from his unique perspective on the ground.
