JENIN, West Financial institution — Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Financial institution on Sunday for the primary time in many years in what Palestinian authorities referred to as a “dangerous escalation,” after the protection minister mentioned troops will stay in elements of the territory for a yr and tens of hundreds of Palestinians who’ve fled can’t return.
Related Press journalists noticed tanks transfer alongside unpaved tracks into Jenin, lengthy a bastion of armed battle towards Israel.
Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has mentioned it’s decided to stamp out militancy amid an increase in assaults. It launched the offensive within the northern West Financial institution on Jan. 21 — two days after the present ceasefire in Gaza took maintain — and has expanded it to close by areas.
Palestinians view such raids as a part of an effort to cement Israeli management over the territory, the place 3 million Palestinians stay underneath army rule. The lethal raids have precipitated destruction in city areas.
Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz mentioned he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism” in all refugee camps within the West Financial institution.
“We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” he mentioned.
Earlier, Katz mentioned he had instructed the army to arrange for “an extended stay” in a number of the West Financial institution’s city refugee camps, from the place he mentioned about 40,000 Palestinians have fled, leaving the areas “emptied of residents.” That determine was confirmed by the United Nations.
The camps are house to descendants of Palestinians who fled or had been compelled to flee throughout wars with Israel many years in the past. It was not clear how lengthy Palestinians could be prevented from returning. Katz mentioned the troops would keep “for the
Tanks had been final deployed within the territory in 2002, when Israel fought a lethal Palestinian rebellion.
The Palestinian international ministry referred to as the Israeli strikes “a dangerous escalation of the situation in the West Bank,” and urged the worldwide group in an announcement to intervene in what it termed Israel’s unlawful “aggression.”
“Even if they stay, we will return to the camp at the end,” mentioned Mohamed al-Sadi, a type of displaced from Jenin. “This camp is ours. We have no other place to go.”
Below interim peace agreements from the early Nineteen Nineties, Israel maintains management over giant elements of the West Financial institution, whereas the Palestinian Authority administers different areas. Israel often sends troops into Palestinian zones however usually withdraws them as soon as missions are accomplished.
The U.N. says the present Israeli army operation is the longest for the reason that Palestinian rebellion of the early 2000s.
Violence has surged within the West Financial institution all through the Israel-Hamas struggle in Gaza. Israel has carried out raids, however with preventing in Gaza and Lebanon on maintain, Netanyahu has been underneath stress from far-right governing companions to crack down on militancy within the West Financial institution.
Greater than 800 Palestinians have been killed within the West Financial institution for the reason that struggle in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with a Hamas assault on southern Israel. Israel says most had been militants, however stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions in addition to individuals not concerned in confrontations have additionally been killed. In the latest operation, a pregnant Palestinian girl was killed.
Jewish settlers even have carried out rampages in Palestinian areas within the territory. There has additionally been a spike in Palestinian assaults emanating from the West Financial institution. On Thursday, blasts rocked three empty buses in Israel in what police view as a suspected militant assault.
Israel captured the West Financial institution, Gaza and east Jerusalem within the 1967 Mideast struggle. Palestinians need all three territories for his or her future impartial state.
The West Financial institution raids come at a delicate time, because the truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza stays tenuous.
With per week left within the ceasefire’s first part, Israel and Hamas don’t seem to have begun negotiations on its second one. The truce’s collapse might result in renewed preventing in Gaza, the place Netanyahu mentioned 63 hostages stay, together with the stays of a soldier captured in 2014.
“We are ready to return to intense fighting at any moment,” Netanyahu mentioned Sunday.
The U.S. particular envoy for the Center East, Steve Witkoff, advised CNN on Sunday he expects the second part to go ahead, including: “We have to get an extension of phase one and so I’ll be going into the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that.” He advised CBS he’ll go to Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Israel mentioned early Sunday it was delaying the newest launch of lots of of Palestinian prisoners till it will get assurances that Hamas stops what Israel calls “humiliating” handovers of hostages.
The 620 prisoners ought to have been launched shortly after six Israeli hostages in Gaza had been freed Saturday — 5 of them in staged ceremonies criticized by the U.S. and Crimson Cross as merciless.
Palestinian members of the family had been distraught. “What have the prisoners done? We don’t know what happened. They killed our joy,” mentioned one mother, Najah Zaqqot.
In the meantime, Netanyahu confronted new criticism over the struggle whereas talking at a army commencement. As he held up an image of Shiri Bibas and her younger boys, Ariel and Kfir, whose stays had been returned from Gaza final week, to exhibit “what we are fighting against,” viewers members referred to as out “Shame!” and “Why didn’t you save them?” The prime minister didn’t react.