Israel deploys tanks to Occupied West Bank for first time in two decades as Palestinians 'won't be allowed' to return
23 February 2025, 18:19 | Updated: 23 February 2025, 19:18
Israeli tanks were deployed to the West Bank for the first time since 2002, and 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their refugee camps.
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Israeli troops have been ordered to stay in the refugee camps 'for a year' as Palestinian refugees will 'not be allowed' to return to their homes.
While Israel has maintained a military presence in the Occupied West Bank for years, and intensified its bombing campaign in the territory this year, it is the first time tanks have been deployed there in more than two decades.
In a statement on Sunday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he has told the military to "prepare for an extended stay in the camps that were cleared for the coming year and not to allow the return of residents or for terror to grow again".
Israel had launched a devastating offensive on the West Bank on 21 January, which it called 'Operation Iron Wall'.
Since then, it has demolished buildings and refugee camps, and 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced.
It has also killed more than 800 Palestinians since the war in Gaza erupted, after Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel.
The West Bank, which is not controlled by Hamas, and has been under military occupation by Israel since 1967, normally houses around three million Palestinians.
Most of these people are descendants of Palestinian refugees forced to flee their homes in modern-day Israel after several wars with the country.
Israel, which runs large parts of the territory, regularly sends troops into the West Bank but normally withdraws them after their missions are complete - typically involving armed Palestinian groups.
It comes after Netanyahu said Israel will delay the release of 602 Palestinian prisoners that was supposed to happen on Saturday under its ceasefire agreement with Hamas "until the release of the next hostages is guaranteed”.
It marks an indefinite postponement where the prisoners' release is concerned, which Hamas says violates the ceasefire agreement.
In a brief statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office Israel accused Hamas of "repeated and ongoing violations," with Hamas levelling the same accusation against Israel on Saturday.
Netanyahu's statement said the decision was made “in light of the repeated violations by Hamas – including rituals that humiliate the dignity of our prisoners and the cynical political use of them for propaganda”.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, 445 prisoners who were arrested in Gaza after 7 October were supposed to be released, in addition to 41 people from the Shalit deal.
It is unclear whether the already fragile ceasefire deal will hold, as this hostage exchange was supposed to be the final swap of phase one of the deal, with phase two planned to begin next week.
