israeli-tanks-roll-into-west-bank-for-first-time-in-decades

Israeli tanks entered the occupied West Bank for the first time in decades, in what Palestinians have termed a "dangerous escalation."

 

The move comes as Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli troops would remain stationed in certain areas of the territory for up to a year, with displaced residents barred from returning.

 

Several independent journalists in Jenin confirmed the presence of Israeli tanks in the city, a stronghold of Palestinian resistance against Israeli forces.

 

Palestinians are throwing stones at Israeli tanks invading Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. For the first time since the Second Intifada, Israel is deploying tanks in its military operation in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/Snr30gQR5c

— red. (@redstreamnet) February 23, 2025

⚡️BREAKING:

Israel has deployed tanks in the West Bank for the first time since 2002. pic.twitter.com/TBvoCX5qPw

— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) February 23, 2025

 

The deployment follows an order from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Katz to "increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism" in all refugee camps within the West Bank.

 

“We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” Katz stated.

 

Earlier, the Defence Minister directed the military to prepare for an extended presence in several West Bank urban refugee camps, from which an estimated 40,000 Palestinians have fled, rendering them "emptied of residents."

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These camps house descendants of Palestinians displaced in earlier wars with Israel.

 

It remains unclear how long these residents will be barred from returning, though Katz indicated a stay of "the coming year," while Netanyahu said troops would remain "as long as needed."

 

The West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence, resulting in at least 800 civilian casualties.

 

Israel gained control of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem following the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians aspire to establish a future independent state encompassing all three territories.

 

With a week left in the first phase of the ceasefire, no negotiations have been reported regarding the second phase.

 

The ceasefire’s collapse could reignite hostilities in Gaza, where Netanyahu asserts that 63 hostages remain, nearly half presumed dead, including a soldier captured in 2014.

 

“We are ready to return to intense fighting at any moment,” Netanyahu warned on Sunday, as the Israeli military heightened its "operational readiness" around Gaza.

Also read: Release all hostages or face 'annihilation', US warns Hamas