Report: Terrorists Use Egypt Situation to Return to Gaza

Al-Jazeera Television reported on Monday that among the thousands of prisoners who have managed to escape from Egyptian prisons since the protests there began, are also terrorists from the Gaza Strip who have been jailed in Egypt.

Among those who have escaped is Hassan Wshah, who was jailed three years ago after he was caught by Egyptian security officials in the Sinai Peninsula and admitted to planning a terrorist attack against Israel.

Wshah is a member of the Army of Islam, an Al-Qaeda inspired Gaza-based terrorist group that wishes to see Gaza run by Sharia (Muslim law). He managed to escape from the Cairo prison on Saturday. Wshah told Al-Jazeera that “the prisoners revolted and started breaking the windows and doors and fled from the cells.” He said that Egyptian soldiers had fired towards the escaped prisoners, killing some and injuring others.

Wshah was subsequently driven by another member of the Army of Islam to the Egyptian town of Rafah which borders with the Gaza Strip, and then managed to enter the Strip through one of the underground smuggling tunnels.

He estimated that thousands of prisoners have managed to escape from the prison, noting that in his section alone there were 1,200 prisoners. Wshah also said that now that he has escaped, he will continue his armed resistance against Israel.

The Al-Jazeera report came on the same day as the IDF began blockading critical Egyptian border crossings. Military spokespersons said that the blockades were meant to stop infiltrators and added that there is no connection with the uprisings in Egypt.