Israeli tanks enter West Bank for 1st time in decades

Palestinian youth hurl stones at Israeli tanks entering the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank. PIC/AFP

Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank on Sunday for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a "dangerous escalation", after the defence minister said troops will remain in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory of Jenin 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 has expanded it to nearby areas.

Palestinians view such raids as an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule. The raids have caused destruction in urban areas and killed more than 800 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever