Palestinians use tunnel to escape from Israeli jail 0:48
Jerusalem (CNN) -
Israeli authorities are searching for six Palestinian militants who escaped from prison, apparently through a tunnel, sometime in the early hours of Monday.
The men escaped from Gilboa Prison, which is located between the Sea of Galilee in Israel and the West Bank city of Jenin.
An image of a tunnel entrance - allegedly used by prisoners to escape - has been widely shared on Palestinian social media, with Israeli media reporting that the men used a tunnel to get out, but police have yet to confirm this.
Zakaria Zubeidi, a commander of the militant wing of the Palestinian political party Fatah, is one of the fugitives, according to a Palestinian prisoner support group.
The other five are reported to be members of the militant group Islamic Jihad.
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Gilboa Prison in Israel.
Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the prison break was a "great heroic act" and a "severe slap in the face to the Israeli army and the entire system in Israel."
Israeli police say the intelligence services are involved in a large police operation to try to find the men.
Drones and helicopters are also being used in the hunt, police said.
Israel Palestine