the opening of the tunnel
the opening of the tunnelIsrael Prison Service

A preliminary report into the intelligence failure which led to the escape by six terrorists from the Gilboa Prison found that the terrorists likely crumbled the concrete on the floor of the cell using acid or Coca-Cola. Kan 11 News reported.

The terrorists dug 29 meters (about 100 feet) of tunnel.

The report commissioned by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) also shows that the escape route of the prisoners included lifting a marble slab in the shower cubicle and digging a tunnel shaft through layers of steel and concrete to the space below.

On the question of how the terrorists dug in the concrete, the IDF unit of the IDF unit writes that "concrete can be weakened and crumbled over time by using various acids, without the use of special means, a cola drink can be used. The metal netting can be cut with the help of an improvised nail file over time."

The report details how the terrorists got to the space under the cell: "The prisoners' escape route included digging a tunnel shaft under a marble slab in the shower cubicle, passing through the top tin (5 mm of steel) and through the ground floor (20 cm of concrete) into the underground space."

The report reveals that the terrorists were forced to dig 29 meters underground: "The length of the escape tunnel is about 35 meters, w29 meters of which they dug themselves, with an average diameter of 0.5 meters, ie an amount of 5-6 cubic meters of soil. The excavation material was used to line the excavated route inside the spaces of the link beams, saving the need to evacuate the excavation material into the prison."

Meanwhile, the police and the Shin Bet finished investigating the six terrorists who escaped from Gilboa Prison earlier this month. A prosecutor's statement was submitted through the State Attorney's Office in preparation for an indictment to be filed against them in the coming days.

According to a report by Channel 12 News, the investigation raised suspicions that five other inmates from Gilboa Prison cooperated and assisted in the escape of the six inmates. One of the inmates charged with abetting in the escape was originally supposed to be among the fugitives - but he backed out and Zakaria Zubeidi from Fatah took his place.

The escape occurred on September 6. The six escapees were recaptured about a week later.