Israel deploys tanks to occupied West Bank for first time in more than 20 years

Israel’s military deployed tanks Sunday into the occupied West Bank Sunday for the first time in more than two decades and said residents who had been “evacuated” will be prevented from returning, in a move decried by Palestinian authorities as an escalation of aggression.

Israel has been carrying out “Operation Iron Wall” – a military campaign focused on the northern West Bank which launched last month, just two days after the Gaza ceasefire began.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed a tank platoon to the northern West Bank city of Jenin, as Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the military “to prepare for prolonged presence” in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank for the “coming year,” and to “prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism.”

Katz said that three camps – Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams – were now empty of some 40,000 residents after being “evacuated.” Several residents who fled Jenin refugee camp previously told CNN the Israeli military had ordered them to evacuate and they did not know when they would be allowed to return home.

At least 27 people have been killed in the offensive in Jenin and 70 across the West Bank since the beginning of the year, according to the Palestinian health ministry.