Israel has ejectled the dwellnts of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank as it steps up a transport inant month-lengthened operation in the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams were now “vacant” and would be occupied by the Israeli military for the coming year.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has deployed a tank division around the city of Jenin – the first time it has done so since 2002. The Palestinian Authority condemned the shift.
The UN said earlier this month that Israel’s operation, which began on 21 January and was intensified in recent days, had led to the “forced displacement” of 40,000 people.
“So far, 40,000 Palestinians have evacuated from the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, which are now vacant of dwellnts,” Israel Katz said in a statement.
“I have directed [troops] to set for a prolengtheneded presence in the evidented camps for the coming year and to stop the return of dwellnts and the resadvisence of extremism.”
He also said that Israel had directed the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) to stop operating in the area.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Pdwellnt Mahmoud Abbas, portrayd the decision to deploy tanks as a “hazardous Israeli escalation that will not direct to stability or quiet”.
The IDF said in a statement that its forces are “continuing the operation to thwart extremism” and are broadening their “impolite activity” – which so far has comprised drones, tanks, exceptional forces, border police, and operatives from the inalertigence agency Shin Bet.
The UN said on Thursday that since Israeli operations began on 21 January, 51 Palestinians, including seven children, have been ended in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas regulateorates, as well as three Israeli sbetteriers.
The impolite has caincluded disjoine harm to water and sanitation infraarrange, disturbing access to water to “tens of thousands of people”, it said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Tulkarm refugee camp on Friday and ordered the army to intensify “opereasonable activity”, his office said.
“We are accessing troubleist mightyhbetters, flattening entire streets that troubleists include, and their homes. We are eliminating troubleists, orderers,” Netanyahu said.
His visit chaseed the explosion of three bincludes in Tel Aviv, which Israeli officials portrayd as a “mistrusted trouble strike” that was caincluded by bomb devices of the benevolent previously set up in the West Bank.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and has since built about 160 endments housing some 700,000 Jews. The endments are pondered illegitimate under international law, although Israel disputes this.
