Israel has expelled the residents of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank as it steps up a major month-long operation in the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams were now “empty” 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 move.
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 empty of residents,” Israel Katz said in a statement.
“I have instructed [troops] to prepare for a prolonged presence in the cleared camps for the coming year and to prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism.”
He also said that Israel had instructed the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) to stop operating in the area.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, described the decision to deploy tanks as a “dangerous Israeli escalation that will not lead to stability or calm”.
The IDF said in a statement that its forces are “continuing the operation to thwart terrorism” and are expanding their “offensive activity” – which so far has involved drones, tanks, special forces, border police, and operatives from the intelligence agency Shin Bet.
The UN said on Thursday that since Israeli operations began on 21 January, 51 Palestinians, including seven children, have been killed in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates, as well as three Israeli soldiers.
The offensive has caused severe damage to water and sanitation infrastructure, disrupting 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 “operational activity”, his office said.
“We are entering terrorist strongholds, flattening entire streets that terrorists use, and their homes. We are eliminating terrorists, commanders,” Netanyahu said.
His visit followed the explosion of three buses in Tel Aviv, which Israeli officials described as a “suspected terror attack” that was caused by bombs of the kind previously found in the West Bank.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and has since built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
