Israeli forces deployed tanks on the West Bank, which was occupied for the first time in more than 20 years, as part of an intensifying military attack that expelled 40,000 Palestinians from refugee camps in the north.
Israel said on Sunday that its troops will remain in the West Bank refugee camp next year, and announced an expansion of military operations, including the deployment of tanks.
Shortly after the ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip about a month ago, Israeli forces launched a major raid on Palestinian fighters on the West Bank. The operation spans multiple refugee camps near the cities of Jenin, Talcarem and Tuba.
“So far, 40,000 Palestinians have evacuated from refugee camps in Jenin, Talkalem and Nur Shams, which are currently empty of residents,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
“I have directed (the troops) to prevent residents from returning and reviving terrorism in preparation for their long-term presence in sunny camps next year,” he added.
The Israeli attack so far has killed at least 51 Palestinians, including seven children and three Israeli soldiers, and expelled at least 40,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The military announced on Sunday that “the tank division will be operated at Jenin” as part of its “expansion” operation in the region.
This is the first time a tank has moved into territory since the end of the second Intifada or the uprising in 2005.
Katz’s statement added: “The Nahal (infantry) brigade and (elite) Duvdevan troops have begun to intervene in other villages.”
In Tulkarem and Jenin, the Army destroyed dozens of homes equipped with explosives and opened new access routes to dense camps. The armored bulldozer wreaked havoc, rising tarmacs, cutting water pipes, and toresting roadside facades.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, violence in the West Bank has skyrocketed.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 900 Palestinians, including many fighters on the territory since the start of the conflict.
