“We call the tunnel the road to Jerusalem”, says one of Gilbou’s six breakers

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Mahmoud Arda, one of Gilbou’s six breakers who was rearrested after five days of large-scale sweep operations, told his lawyer more details about the tunnel he and the other five breakers dug to liberate themselves from Israeli jails.

Mahmoud Arda said that digging the tunnel beneath the prison aimed to “gain our freedom and a response for the death of prisoner Muhammad al-Ashkar in 2007, and dugging the tunnel in Shata prison in 2021 was for the same reason.”

Palestinian prisoner Muhammad al-Ashkar died in 2007 of wounds sustained during Israeli forces brutally suppression of prisoners at Ketziot prison.

The death of the al-Ashkar, who is an Islamic Jihad member from the occupied West Bank and was arrested in 2003 and sentenced for 3 years and a half, prompted vows of revenge from Palestinian groups.

Mahmoud Arda also said that the digging of the tunnel also was in protest against the death of prisoner Kamal abu Wa’er in 2020 due to medical negligence, and the harsh conditions in Israeli jails where Palestinian prisoners are held, and the dire situation which Palestinian female prisoners experience.

Arda also added that the digging of the tunnel was against the harsh conditions of the solitary confinement and for not complying the demands of the general strike in 2017, when more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners began a hunger strike with their primary demands include more frequent and lengthy family visits, better prison conditions such as improved medical care, and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention – detention without charge or trial.

Arda said that he and the other five prisoners who managed to free themselves from Gilbou prison, called the tunnel as “The Road to Jerusalem.”

Six Palestinian prisoners managed to liberate themselves on September 6 2021, from Gilbou prison, a high-security Israeli prison, through a secret tunnel they had reportedly dug beneath the prison.

Such a heroic act was a shock for the world as Gilbou prison is deemed Israel’s most secured facility and it has been described as a “bank safe”.

Four of the six breakers were rearrested by the Israeli occupation on September 11, after five days of large-scale sweep operations throughout occupied Palestine using high-tech systems and the two others were rearrested on September 19, after 13 days of sweep operations.

The six prisoners were identified as:

Mahmoud Arda, 46 years old, from Arraba town in Jenin, imprisoned since 1996, sentenced to a life and 15 years and belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement.

Mohammad Arda, 39 years old, from Arraba town in Jenin, imprisoned since 2002, sentenced to life and belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement.

Yaaqob Qadri, 49 years old, from Beir al-Basha town in Jenin, imprisoned since 2003, sentenced to a life and belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement.

Ayham Kamanji, 35 years old, from Kufr Dan town in Jenin, imprisoned since 2006, sentenced to life and belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement.

Zakaria Zubaidi, 46 years old, from Jenin refugee camp, imprisoned since 2019, was not sentenced, and is a former commander of Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Munadel Infeiat, 26 years old, from Yabad town in Jenin and imprisoned since 2019, was not sentenced and belonged to the Islamic Jihad movement.