RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s defense minister has directed the military to prepare for an extended presence in certain areas of the occupied West Bank as part of increased efforts against Palestinian militant factions, as stated on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mandated the military to execute a comprehensive operation in the West Bank subsequent to recent bus explosions near Tel Aviv last Thursday, reportedly in an attempted large-scale assault, with no casualties reported. Israel’s military has been conducting a significant operation in the West Bank for the past month, targeting militants. The operation has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians from West Bank refugee camps, along with the demolition of residences and essential infrastructure.
In an announcement on Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed that he had instructed military units to broaden their activities in the Palestinian refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur al-Shams in the northern West Bank to dismantle the militants’ infrastructure. Reportedly, 40,000 Palestinians have evacuated these camps. The military statement also mentioned the deployment of tanks to Jenin as a part of the offensive, marking the first use of tanks by Israel in the northern region of the West Bank for over two decades.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, voiced condemnation for the decision to deploy tanks in the northern West Bank, denoting it as a perilous Israeli escalation that could jeopardize calmness and stability.
In his official statement, Katz noted that the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, has been instructed to cease its operations in the camps. However, the agency was not immediately available for comment. No specific group has claimed responsibility for the bus explosions in Tel Aviv, which occurred amid a delicate ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel following almost 16 months of conflict. Despite allegations from both Israel and Hamas of breaches, the truce has remained intact since its initiation on January 19. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Emily Rose in Jerusalem, Clauda Tanios in Dubai, and Muhammad Al Gebaly in Cairo; Editing by Helen Popper)
