Israel reopens West Bank crossing near Gilboa Prison after Palestinian escapees all recaptured

Israel on Wednesday reopened a crossing with Palestine's illegally occupied West Bank for the first time since a daring escape by six Palestinian detainees two weeks ago.

The men tunnelled out of the nearby Gilboa Prison in Israel's north in a rare escape that triggered huge embarrassment and a desperate search before they were all recaptured.

The Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank said the Jalameh crossing into the northern West Bank would be open for the first time since 6 September, when the prisoners broke free.

Six prisoners tunnelled out through a shaft in the floor of their bathroom in the biggest jailbreak of its kind in decades. They later split up into groups of two, and the final pair were recaptured over the weekend in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin.

The incident marked a humiliating security breach for Israel and sparked a massive manhunt in northern Israel and the occupied West Bank. Lawyers for several of the escapees have alleged beatings and, in some cases, even torture since they were caught.

Palestinians laud prisoners held by Israel as heroes of their national cause, and many celebrated the escape from Gilboa Prison on social media and in the streets.