Israeli tanks move into the occupied West Bank for the first time since 2002 amid growing crackdown

Israeli tanks enter West Bank for first time since 2002, as Israel intensifies crackdown on Palestinian territory.

Israeli tanks have moved into the occupied West Bank for the first time since 2002, shortly after the Defence Minister said troops will remain “for the coming year” in parts of the territory and indicated that Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

Associated Press journalists saw a handful of tanks move Sunday (February 23, 2025) into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.

Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has said it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. It launched the offensive in the northern West Bank on January 21 — two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold — and expanded it to nearby areas.

Palestinians view such raids as part of an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule. The deadly raids have caused destruction in urban areas.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism" in all refugee camps in the West Bank.

“We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare for “an extended stay” in some of the West Bank's urban refugee camps, from where he said about 40,000 Palestinians have fled, leaving the areas “emptied of residents.” That figure was confirmed by the United Nations.