The six heroes of Operation Freedom Tunnel

If you missed the previous episode, click here.

The fifth episode of “The Heroes" series talks about a Palestinian generation supported by exemplars of struggle and resistance and free people of the world wherever they may be... The cause of the prisoners is not merely a headline or a piece of breaking news. It is not even a political project aimed at pursuing and defending the cause.

The cause of the prisoners is, in-depth, a sublime humanitarian message, in the moral, intellectual, civilizational, religious, historical, political, strategic, and global sense.

In this episode, liberated prisoner Anwar Yassin described how freedom is the dream of every prisoner, but this dream, which some deem impossible, has come true thanks to the will of steadfastness, defiance, and determination of the Palestinian and Arab prisoners…

And victory came in its fullest and most perfect form through the Gilboa prison break.

Pro-#Palestine activists, families, ex-prisoners, and believers in the rightful #Palestinian cause rushed to stand in solidarity with the six Palestinian prisoners who liberated themselves from the Israeli Gilboa Prison.
Here are some of their heartfelt reactions.👇#الأبطال pic.twitter.com/aQYscL9x7w
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 3, 2022

The smell of soil was one of the most beautiful smells

The plan of liberation crystallized in the mind of Mahmoud Al-Aridah, the mastermind of Operation Freedom Tunnel, who described it in his own words as follows:

"Operation Freedom Tunnel in Gilboa was on my mind since the establishment of the prison in 2003, and I was asking those coming from there about the geography of the prison and the shape of its rooms and bathrooms. I repeatedly demanded my transfer, which I eventually got in 2005."

Al-Aridah explained, "I started talking about the plant with some of my fellow brothers, and I learned after I was transferred from Gilboa in 2007 that they tried to remove the toilet seat in the bathroom but it did not come out as it should.

In 2012, I moved to Shatta prison, and there, I was surprised that the section was similar to Gilboa Prison. We dug several tunnels, some of which collapsed due to sewage and were discovered in 2014, so we were put in isolation for nine months.

In 2015, I went back to Gilboa, and at the beginning of 2017, I started planning the operation, but it was interrupted due to a major breakthrough and an urgent event, which was the famous 2017 strike.

In 2018, I tried again, but the circumstances were not perfect. I met Munadel Nafi'at and told him about the plan.

When I started designing the tunnel, I also told Yaqoub Qadri and Ayham Kamamji about the plan. When I decided to start digging the tunnel, I surrounded myself with a group of great young men that I mentored."

"The bathroom floor was made of ceramic, with a piece of aluminum in the middle, which was the secret of the tunnel. At first, I asked the brothers to help me open the door, whereby Yaqoub and I would take care of everything that would be under the room, but we discovered that age had taken its toll on us," Al-Arida continued.

"When I dug a hole and made it back to the cell, I hurried out and praised God. Then I broke the good news to my fellow brothers. The smell of the soil was one of the most beautiful smells.

The big surprise was that there was no space under the room. We found out that the room was built on a cement block. We had to go down under it and then go up to the top. We started removing soil with a bag, pouring water, and pressing the soil to turn its volume into half."

Mahmoud Al-Aridah: I ate delicious bread, but not as delicious as my mothers’

"We started working toward the exit point in mid-April 2021. We closed the tunnel on June 10 and reopened it on June 21, but we were surprised that it was flooded with water.

Munadel and I began heading upward on September 3, and the next day, Munadel went into the tunnel, and with one stroke, a small hole, through which the light of freedom shone, was opened.

On the afternoon of September 5, the person in charge of inspecting the sewers came in, and he was carrying a long iron rod. He inserted the rod into the sewer, and dirt came out.

We had decided to break out on September 7, but after the incident, my fellow brothers and I agreed to leave on the night of September 6.

We started to get out one after the other, and the process took 22 minutes. As we crossed the street, Munadel and Ayham were in the lead. Because it was not crowded, one of my fellow brothers made a mistake and crossed the street in front of the cars. Ayham almost got killed. A taxi driver stopped and gave us a look, and that is when I knew it has become dangerous.

Before our liberation, one of the brothers had proposed among the alternative plans to head to an Arab country, but this was out of question rejected, because seeking asylum in the Palestinian memory is a great tragedy, and I prefer staying in prison over being in any country, with all due respect.

We entered Al-Na’ura village disguised as workers. No one accepted to pick us up in his car because we had no permits. My fellow brothers suggested calling my brother Shaddad, which I was hesitant to do because I knew that the call would be monitored. I called him anyway, and the deal was to meet with him on the night of September 7. He tried to come, but he could not make it.

We decided to go our separate ways. My wish was to climb the mountains of Al-Na’ura, as I often saw them as the bus passed by. Yaqoub and I entered barren areas. The first sound I heard was the chirping of the Chukar bird. I was thrilled.

I wanted for the first time to watch the sunset in the sea. I wanted to continue climbing to see the view, but Yaqoub said we should head to the village and get something to eat and drink. We were lucky enough to meet a gentleman who provided us with just that. The bread was very delicious, but still, it was nowhere near the bread my mother makes.

We walked toward the village of Tamra. We slept in an open area, and we did not know where we were. The next day, we came to realize that we were in an area between Jenin and “Megiddo”."

"They are candles that lit up the path in the tunnel for seven thousand prisoners in Israeli jails." #AlMayadeen asked ex-#Palestinian prisoners, activists, lawyers, and families, how they would describe the six prisoners who broke out of Gilboa prison in one word. #الأبطال pic.twitter.com/9UZz8WOttX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 3, 2022

Mountains of the village of Sulem were very beautiful

According to Al-Aridah, the six heroes headed to the village of Iksal, where they walked among olive groves and passed by a garden full of pomegranates and ate from it. As dawn drew near, they chose an uncultivated olive land full of thorns to set a place to sleep.

At dawn, Al-Aridah was surprised by the voices of women and children speaking Arabic approaching them and felt very happy.

The heroes then crossed the open field toward Iksal mountains and ate cactus. Al-Aridah described the residents of Iksal as very generous. He even talked to an old man eating ice cream and wanted to ask him for some, but he felt embarrassed and walked away.

Then, the heroes climbed the Fakhura mountains, slept in the woods, and headed toward the village, thinking that they were in Al-Nasirah.

They passed by a house in which children were playing. The children called on Al-Aridah to play with them. The mastermind of the operation told the children's parents that he and his partners are from Tulkarm and were workers heading to Mount Qafzeh.

According to Al-Aridah, police forces, not special units, arrived later, which led them to believe that their arrest was a sheer coincidence. He revealed that he was shocked by the rumors that targeted Al-Nasirah, the city that embraced him and his partners -- a fact that the heroes did not mention at first in order not to harm anyone.

It is worth mentioning that without a doubt, Mahmoud Al-Aridah was an outstanding leader, a brilliant planner, a smart adventurer, and a brave resistance fighter.

Muhammad Arandas: Had they reached a safe point, the PIJ would have been able to provide them with whatever they needed

On his part, the former prisoner, Muhammad Arandas, pointed out that “had there been an arrangement between the leader Mahmoud Al-Aridah, who is considered the mastermind and the supervisor, and someone on the outside, it would have been most likely that everything would have been exposed, and the operation would have failed before it even started. We all know that the technological and surveillance system of the Israeli occupation is extremely high-tech".

He continued to say, “As the Islamic Jihad movement, when the operation took place, we were ready to provide everything we could to protect them and take them in if they reached an area where the movement could exercise its powers.”

Ahmad Al-Aridah: People in the West Bank, Gaza, and elsewhere were shocked and disappointed when they were arrested

Ahmad Al-Aridah, on his part, expressed gratitude to God that they were still alive and nothing else had happened. The [arrest] moments were very shocking, not only for the family of Mahmoud Al-Aridah but for the whole region in the West Bank, Gaza, and elsewhere as well. Every household felt shocked and sad.

Ahmad Al-Aridah, brother of Mohammad Al-Aridah indicated that he lived in Gilboa, adding, "I know the area very well, and it is not how it was 20 or 25 years ago. Gilboa Prison is surrounded by sewage ponds, agricultural ponds, and fish ponds, which are, in their turn, surrounded by agricultural lands. The mountains of Gilboa constituted a fence made up of illegal Israeli settlements surrounding the prison. It is very difficult to move around there. The whole region is made up of industrial and agricultural areas."

Huda Al-Aridah, the sister of prisoner Mahmoud Al-Aridah, said she was anxious, describing these days as extremely difficult for her. It was one of two; “either they catch him or kill him, and the idea of him being killed hit me hard. That they could kill him or shoot him… I cannot explain how difficult it was… We were all praying for them to reach safety. All we wanted was that my brother come home and see my mother… to achieve the main purpose of the operation, but alas! This did not happen.”

As for Hosni Issa, he says that they dealt with the news naturally, although a feeling of pain overwhelmed all the prisoners. "We expected that the six prisoners would get out and leave the country where they would lead new lives, knowing that they boosted all the prisoners’ morale. It is true that we were slightly disappointed, but we did not show the Zionist jailors that we were frustrated because we did not want to give them any chance to rejoice over catching them."

On his part, Muhammad Jaradat considered that the third achievement was to get out of the entire region, away from anything that has to do with prisons, camps, and police stations, and get to somewhere beyond all this. Mahmoud, Yaqoub, Zakaria, and Mohammad did not manage to get out of the ’48 occupied Palestinian territories, but Ayham and Munadel did; they were able to cross a line that seemed impossible, and that was a huge achievement.

Amani Ibrahim pointed out that the sentence issued by the court; i.e. the sentence of five years imprisonment along with a fine issued against the prisoners… "the legal interpretation was ridiculous to any person who works in the field of law because the judge’s allegations were that the whole thing was prisoner Mahmoud Al-Aridah’s idea, claiming that what makes it so dangerous is that he was able to keep it all a secret for a whole year although many knew about it and others joined and agreed to be part of it. It was as if the judge was punishing them for the failure of the Israeli security system and the prison authority system, as well as the intelligence services.

Kiriakou: With all its security capabilities, the prison was not fortified

Former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, considered that he wouldn't be surprised to learn that some people have lost their jobs and their careers have ended, indicating that this shows that the alleged Israeli prison, with its security capabilities, was not really that fortified.

Former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell to #AlMayadeen: The #Palestinians are using the only method that is available to fight back against their enemies. #Palestine #الأبطال pic.twitter.com/1N3mJXR0va
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 3, 2022

On his part, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Lawrence Wilkerson said, "It is clear to me as a military expert that when we are talking about a state or a potential future state such as Palestine that does not have traditional means of defeating its enemy - "Israel" in this case - then it will resort to any other possible means such as youths who are willing to sacrifice their lives for this goal and in exchange for the establishment of this potential state."

Yamen Zeidan pointed out that Israeli media, along with with all the Israeli security institutions from the Prisons Authority, Israeli intelligence, and even the Israeli occupation army, were all deployed to search for the six prisoners.

Zeidan indicated that the Israelis are trying to restore some prestige and cause fear to the Palestinians by trying to reprogram the Palestinian mind by convincing them that the occupation can reach anywhere and is the strongest and that the Israeli security services know everything.

A special message from one of the heroic prisoners to Al Mayadeen

Yaqoub Al-Qadiri recalls remarkable moments about the liberation course from his isolation cell in Askalan, saying:

"At 12:30 am, we rushed to get our bags ready, and in a few minutes, Munadel, Mohammad, and I came out. We rejoiced and praised God. It was a defining moment as I was making it through the hole and Munadel lent me a helping hand. I grabbed my bag and walked for 20 meters. I even took a handful of the blood-red sand and took a taste of it. I wanted to tell the enemy that nothing stands in the way of freedom-seekers."

"We headed to the north of Palestine. We climbed the high mountains of Na'ura. I had a small radio with me and another with Mahmoud," Yaqoub recounted, adding that he and Al-Aridah heard the news about the catastrophic shock that hit the Israeli occupation hard and were very pleased.

Al-Qadri and Al-Aridah spend the night near an occupation military camp before they continued their journey. At the entrance to the village of Iksal, the two heroes ate figs, lemons, pomegranates, and cactus.

According to Yaqoub, the last moments before their arrest were in Al-Nasirah at the top of Mount Quneitra. He and Mahmoud Al-Aridah passed by some people who offered them water and food.

Yaqoub said hello to a child who was with his mother when Mahmoud called on him to see a pigeon's nest. They were enjoying the simplest moments they were deprived of while in prison.

When asked about the reaction of Qusai Merhi's family after they discovered that he was one of those who contributed to Operation Freedom Tunnel operation, Sohaib, Qusai's brother, said that his brother could have rejected Mahmoud Al-Aridah's request to help in the digging process and kept the operation a secret, but he insisted on taking part in the operation.

Sohaib said his brother was the biggest contributor to the excavation, according to the testimony of the four other prisoners who helped in the excavation, as well as the six heroes.

Sohaib indicated that Qusai was interrogated for 45 days by 60 Shin Bet interrogators and Israeli intelligence who could not extract any information from him, adding that all the prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel, those who snatched their freedom or those who helped in the excavations, were tried, except for Qusai, because he rejected the list of charges against him.

When asked about the situation in Palestine during the first hours of the liberation of the six prisoners, Huda, Mahmoud Al-Aridah's sister, pointed out that everyone was supportive and happy, adding that it was a moment she cannot describe.

Huda said that people came to congratulate her, expressing that the joy was overwhelming, as people were very happy that Mahmoud was able to liberate himself from prison.

"We were inside the prison watching the news. The Zionist occupation mobilized all its military and intelligence forces after its abject failure," Hosni Issa recounted.

According to Issa, the Israeli occupation went crazy over the operation because the prison was equipped with advanced surveillance cameras and all sorts of high-tech devices. The Israelis were shocked at how a few prisoners, with no technologies or life necessities, were able to dig a tunnel and liberate themselves.

On his part, liberated prisoner, Anwar Yassin, considered that Israeli security agencies and the Prisons Authority dealt a painful blow to the face because, since 2003, they have bragged about Gilboa prison being a fortified place on a global level -- perhaps the third most fortified prison on a global level and the first in Palestine.

Saeed Bisharat stressed that Operation Freedom Tunnel was the strategic starting point for defeating the Israeli enemy, underlining that "we are able to defeat it despite its strength. We know that it possesses enormous power, but as Palestinians, we can now look for its points of weakness that we have been looking for, for the past 74 years, and to deal the enemy a fatal blow that will destroy its entity just as the tiny Gilboa tunnel did."

"They are candles that lit up the path in the tunnel for seven thousand prisoners in Israeli jails." #AlMayadeen asked ex-#Palestinian prisoners, activists, lawyers, and families, how they would describe the six prisoners who broke out of Gilboa prison in one word. #الأبطال pic.twitter.com/9UZz8WOttX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 3, 2022

They are true heroes, whether in captivity or beyond...

September 6, 2021, is a date that will not be erased from the Palestinian and Arab memory, and from the memory of the free people of the world, nor will "Israel" succeed in erasing it from its record of setbacks, as the messages of the six heroes and their stories are not over yet.

For more details about Operation Freedom Tunnel, watch the upcoming episode of "The Heroes" on Al Mayadeen at 21:00 Al-Quds time.