Feb. 23 (UPI) — The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed Sunday that it has deployed tanks to the West Bank as it expands counter-terrorism operations in Jenin.
It’s part of a major offensive in the northern West Bank that has been underway since January 21, dubbed Operation Iron Wall. IDF said it sent three tanks into the area, according to The Times of Israel.
It’s the first time since 2002 that IDF tanks are operating in the West Bank, according to reporting by The Quds Press Agency.
Palestinians have long viewed offensive moves like this are an effort by Israel to further increase its control over the area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism” in all refugee camps in the West Bank, the nation’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
“So far, 40,000 Palestinians have evacuated from the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, which are now empty of residents,” Katz said in a statement obtained by BBC News. “”We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” he continued.
“I have instructed [troops] to prepare for a prolonged presence in the cleared camps for the coming year and to prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism.”
Katz also said he directed the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency to stop operating in the area. The UN reported on Thursday that 51 Palestinians, including seven children, have been killed in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates, as well as three Israeli soldiers in the latest spasm of ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas.
Officials said the offensive that began on January 21 has disrupted water, sanitation and other infrastructure services for at least tens of thousands of people. Netanyahu has not backed down from his original pledge to destroy Hamas, which he made after it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We are entering terrorist strongholds, flattening entire streets that terrorists use, and their homes. We are eliminating terrorists, commanders,” Netanyahu said.