In September 2021, six inmates escaped from Gilboa Prison, previously deemed one of Israel's most secure facilities. Following this escape and the subsequent investigation, the Israel Prison Service underwent significant reforms, including the introduction of a computerized management system and enhanced security measures.
As part of these reforms, concrete was poured into the underground spaces beneath Gilboa Prison, which was originally built on foundational piles. This initiative was later expanded to other facilities, including Ganot Prison in southern Israel, housing approximately 2,500 inmates. However, during these efforts, it was discovered that prisoners were repurposing these “dead spaces” beneath their cells to hide mobile phones, enabling them to maintain contact with the outside world.
Led by Israel Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi, the ongoing campaign to fortify cells and fill underground areas with concrete aims to implement recommendations from the government’s inquiry following the Gilboa escape. The inquiry revealed that some prisons contained open spaces beneath the cells, created by the construction method, resulting in gaps of several dozen centimeters between the ground and the floor.
Recent security operations have uncovered a particularly ingenious method used by inmates: they sawed through toilet pipes to create hidden compartments for mobile phones, which they could retrieve using makeshift “fishing rods” equipped with magnets. Despite concerns about budget cuts, the Israel Prison Service cautions that proposed reductions could severely limit their ability to prevent smuggling operations and adhere to the inquiry’s recommendations.
In recent operations at Ganot Prison, staff found over 40 mobile phones concealed beneath cell floors. Using the new method, inmates sawed into plumbing pipes to create hidden compartments for their phones, retrieving them with magnetic fishing rods as needed. Chief Warden Hatem Azam, overseeing the project, noted the sophistication of the inmates' tactics. “We are confronting elaborate strategies, and our actions are aimed at thwarting these attempts and preventing illegal communications. We have also deployed cellular jammers to disrupt any communication. We will continue to identify and seal off these ‘underground cities.’”
Southern District Commander Chief Warden Eran Peer expressed concern about potential budget cuts: “Just as we are intensifying our efforts, the Finance Ministry is considering budget reductions, even as we uncover methods that allow security prisoners to communicate from behind bars. National security relies on our ability to prevent these smuggling operations. The safety of lives and the state cannot be reduced to a budget issue.”
