Israel sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years on Sunday (February 23) as it ordered the military to prepare for an "extended stay" to fight Palestinian militant groups in the area's refugee camps, Reuters reports.
The move came as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza hit new hurdles after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a stop to the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees due to be freed under the truce, in retaliation for public displays of Israeli hostages handed over in exchange in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have already been displaced from their homes in the West Bank over the past month as the military has moved into the crowded refugee camps of flashpoint cities like Jenin and Tulkarm, cracking down on Iranian-backed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The West Bank, seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, is seen by Palestinians as the core of a future Palestinian state, along with Gaza, but there have been increasingly open calls by Israeli hardliners for its annexation.
