Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem gathered for a day of rage, on Friday, in support of the six Palestinian prisoners, who escaped from an Israeli prison, heeding the call of Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups.
They are also protesting against the punitive measures that the Israeli prison officials have imposed on imprisoned members of the Islamic Jihad, another group active in the Gaza Strip, in the wake of the escape of 6 Palestinian detainees from one of the country’s most secure prisons.
After the Hollywoodian escape that broke the high-security reputation that Israel created for itself, Israel arrested several relatives of the escaped prisoners, including three people on Friday morning, as part of the manhunt to capture them.
The six men tunneled out of the high-security Gilboa jail, with spoons, on Monday, triggering celebration and solidarity protests in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli forces were on their second-highest level of alert on Friday, below declaring a state of emergency, prepared for protests in the occupied Palestinian territories and possible riots within Israeli jails.
More than 100 Palestinian protesters, who have been holding spoons in reference to the Palestinians escape, moved towards the valley below the illegal Israeli settlement of Evyatar which is constructed on agricultural land expropriated from the villagers.
On the hill above, groups of Israeli soldiers monitored youths who burned tires and threw stones.
Drones flew over the young protesters, dropping tear gas on them, while others buzzed close above the manifestations taking pictures, according to AlJazeera.
Later on Friday, the Red Crescent reported more than 30 injuries in Beita and Beit Dajan near Nablus. An ambulance was also hit by Israeli soldiers.
Over the last few days, frustrated at their inability to track down the escaped prisoners and fearing similar attempts, the Israel Prison Services (IPS) broke up groups of Islamic Jihad prisoners and forcibly removed them from their cells, transferring them to other prisons.
Earlier this week, angry prisoners responded to Israeli high-handed measures, which various rights groups say amount to collective punishment, by setting fire to prison cells in several Israeli jails which prompted the IPS to send in the notorious Masada prison unit, known for its brutality, to quell the riots and shift individual prisoners to other jails.
As well as riots in jails and solidarity protests in the West Bank, the Israeli authorities fear violent responses from Gaza.
At least 100 people were wounded on Wednesday evening after Israeli forces fired live ammunition and used tear gas at solidarity rallies in several cities in the West Bank.
In the past few days, at least four shooting attacks by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli forces in the northern West Bank have been reported as well as the throwing of an explosive device.
Meanwhile, Surveillance drones and members of the undercover Israeli agents have reportedly been deployed in night operation, as the Israeli authorities said they wanted the escapees, whom they see as a big security threat, “dead or alive”.
On the other side, the Palestinian resistance movement in Gaza has threatened a military response if the escapees are harmed or killed.
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