Islamic Jihad accuses Israel of wanting to 'annex West Bank by force' after tanks deployed
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad on Monday accused Israel of wanting to "annex the West Bank by force" after Israel deployed tanks into the occupied territory for the first time in decades.
Israel said on Sunday its troops would remain for many months in refugee camps in the northern West Bank, after tens of thousands of Palestinians living there were displaced by an intensifying, weeks-long military operation.
The military also announced tank deployments in Jenin, where it said it was expanding its operations. This is the first time tanks have operated in the occupied West Bank since the end of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2005.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad said Israel's use of tanks and the evacuation of three Palestinian refugee camps "confirms the occupation's plans to annex the West Bank by force."
The militant group, which alongside Hamas fought a deadly war against Israel in Gaza until a ceasefire was announced last month, described the move as "a new act of aggression".
It was "aimed at uprooting our people from their land and consolidating military domination by creating settler corridors that reinforce the separation of West Bank cities and their camps," the group said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that three Palestinian refugee camps -- Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams -- were "now empty of residents" following Israel's offensive, which began last month.
Katz said he had 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".
He put the number of displaced Palestinians at 40,000, the same figure provided by the United Nations which said the offensive had so far killed at least 51 Palestinians including seven children, and three Israeli soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare visit to troops in the territory last week and ordered the army to step up its operations in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Violence in the territory has surged since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 900 Palestinians, including many militants, in the territory since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 32 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
Source: Agence France Presse
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