Israeli forces have deployed their tanks in the busy West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years as part of an intensified military offense which has moved 40,000 Palestinians from refugee camps in the North.
Israel said on Sunday that his troops would remain in the West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing extended military operations, including tank deployments.
Just after the start of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip approximately a month ago, the Israeli army launched a major raid against Palestinian fighters in the West Bank. The operation extends over several refugee camps near the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tobas.
“So far, 40,000 Palestinians have evacuated Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, who are now empty of residents,” Israel Katz Israel Minister Katz said.
“I asked (troops) to prepare a prolonged presence in the camps released for the coming year and to prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism,” he added.
According to the United Nations, the Israeli offensive has so far killed at least 51 Palestinians, including seven children and three Israeli soldiers, as well as the trip at least 40,000 people.
The army announced on Sunday that “a tank division will work in Jenin” as part of “expanding” operations in the region.
This is the first time that tanks have entered the territory since the end of the second intifada, or uprising in 2005.
“The Nahal brigade (infantry) and the unit forces (elite) Duvdevan began to intervene in other villages” in the north of the territory, said the Katz declaration, adding that they “continue their operations In the regions of Jenin and Tulkarem ”.
In Tulkarem and Jenin, the army has demolished dozens of houses with explosives, opening up new access routes in the densely built camps. The armored bulldozers have wreaked havoc, overthrowing the tarmac, cutting the water pipes and tearing the facades by the roadside.
Violence in the West Bank increased since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 900 Palestinians, including many fighters, on the territory since the start of the conflict, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
