Israel has launched air strikes on what it said was a Hamas military site in the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, after incendiary balloons were sent into Israeli territory.
The Israeli military said fighter jets struck a Hamas rocket manufacturing workshop as well as a Hamas military compound in Khan Yunis, a city in southern Gaza.
They said the compound houses a cement factory used for building tunnels for terror attacks “and is purposefully located in a civilian area adjacent to a mosque and a water treatment site”.
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Palestinians fly balloons loaded with flammable material near the Israel-Gaza border in the central Gaza Strip. -
Balloons loaded with flammable material are released by Palestinian demonstrators. -
Demonstrators hold balloons loaded with flammable material near the Gaza-Israel border. -
A protester holds balloons loaded with flammable material near the Gaza-Israel border. -
Protesters in Gaza calling themselves the "night confusion units" hold incendiary devices attached to balloons to be launched towards Israel. -
Balloons attached to flammable materials launched by Palestinian protesters fly towards Israel. -
An Israeli soldier shoots at a balloon attached to a burning effigy sent over the border during protests near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The strikes came in response to Hamas-launched incendiary balloons into Israeli territory, the army said.
On Monday, hundreds of supporters of Islamic Jihad rallied in Gaza, and the militant group sent incendiary balloons across the frontier in support of six Palestinian prisoners who had tunnelled out of one of the most secure Israeli prisons overnight.
It was the biggest prison break of its kind in decades.
Israel launched a massive manhunt in the country’s north and the occupied West Bank. The search continued on Tuesday.
The escape marks an embarrassing security breach just ahead of the Jewish New Year, when Israelis flock to the north to enjoy beaches, campsites and the Sea of Galilee.
The prisoners appear to have gone into hiding and there was no indication Israeli authorities view them as an immediate threat.
Palestinians consider many prisoners held by Israel to be heroes of their national cause, and many celebrated the escape on social media.
Efforts to capture the escapees are set to draw attention to the Palestinian Authority’s security co-ordination with Israel, which is deeply unpopular among Palestinians.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority, but President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party praised the escape.
A photo released by the prison service showed a narrow hole in the floor of a cell, and Israeli security forces could be seen examining a similar hole on a stretch of gravel just outside the walls of the prison.
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Six Palestinians have escaped from Gilboa prison in northern Israel. Getty -
The prisoners, who include former Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Zakaria Zubeidi, are believed to have escaped at night through a tunnel. Getty -
Prison authorities have started a manhunt in northern Israel and the occupied West Bank. Getty -
The Israel Prison Service has said an alert was sounded at about 3am after 'suspicious figures' were seen outside the prison. Reuters -
Israel’s Army Radio has said the men appeared to have received help from outside. Reuters -
About 400 people are detained at the prison over 'security offences' and all are to be relocated as a result of the escape, the prison service says. Reuters -
The narrow escape tunnel started beneath a sink and continued deep underground. Reuters -
Gilboa is considered to be one of the most secure prisons in Israel. Reuters -
Four of the men who escaped were serving life sentences, the Palestinian Prisoners Club says. Getty -
Authorities believe the men may try to reach the occupied West Bank, which is about four kilometres from the prison, or the border with Jordan, which is 14km away. Getty -
The Israeli military are among the agencies involved in the search operation. Getty -
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called the escape a 'grave incident' that requires maximum effort from the country's various security branches. Getty -
The prisoners have escaped on the eve of the Jewish New Year. Getty -
A spokesman for Hamas has described the escape as a 'victory for the will and determination of our heroic prisoners'. Getty
