The Palestinian Prisoners' Club, which represents both former and current prisoners, identified the men as ranging in age from 26 to 49 years old. Israeli helicopters were seen flying over Jenin on Monday morning. The internationally recognised PA wields little control in the town, where militants in recent weeks have clashed with Israeli forces. The escapees are suspected of having headed back to their hometown of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, about a 25 kilometer (15-mile) drive away. Police commander Shimon Ben Shabo said officials have reinforced emergency response call centers in the area to respond to any reports about the prisoners and there are “forces available to arrive at any location.” Palestinian prisoners are believed to use smuggled cellphones to communicate with people outside, and the escapees may have arranged for a getaway vehicle. Israeli media quoted Public Security Minister Omer Barlev as saying that extensive planning went into the escape and that the prisoners likely had “outside assistance.” There were no instructions for people to alter their routines.ĪLSO READ: 9/11: As the decades pass, the act of remembering evolves He said he was receiving constant updates on the prison break, which occurred just hours before Israel was to mark the Jewish New Year. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called it a “grave incident” that required maximum effort by Israel's various security branches. It appeared to be the biggest Palestinian escape from an Israeli prison since 1987, when six Islamic Jihad militants broke out of a heavily guarded prison in Gaza months before the outbreak of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel. 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.