The Israeli political leadership was reportedly “pressuring for the inclusion of tanks in the ongoing military operation in the northern West Bank.”
The Israeli army confirmed on Sunday that it has deployed tanks to the northern occupied West Bank for the first time in 23 years, according to media reports.
“For the first time since (Operation) ‘Defensive Shield’: IDF tanks are expected to operate soon in the Jenin refugee camp – and preparations have already been documented in the area,” Israeli Army Radio reported on X, along with an image of tanks in the territory.
לראשונה מאז “חומת מגן”: טנקים של צה”ל צפויים לפעול בקרוב במחנה הפליטים ג’נין – וכבר תועדו נערכים באזור@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/VFq72fyPr3
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) February 23, 2025
The radio later reported that the army announced “an expansion of operation” in the West Bank, adding that the Nahal Infantry Brigade and the Duvdevan Commando Unit would operate in several villages in the Jenin area.
In addition, “a platoon from the 188th Armored Brigade” was preparing to operate in Jenin, the Times of Israel reported.
Political Pressure
According to the Israeli Channel 14, cited by the Anadolu news agency, the Israeli political leadership was “pressuring for the inclusion of tanks in the ongoing military operation in the northern West Bank.”
Israeli media says Israel’s military may deploy tanks to the northern occupied West Bank for the first time in 23 years amid Tel Aviv’s deadly raids
🔗 https://t.co/9xUUHPQLqp pic.twitter.com/JJ3D4mYfYe— TRT World (@trtworld) February 23, 2025
It cited anonymous sources as saying that the decision came “after pressure from the political leadership,” and that the army does not rule out using the air force again if developments warrant it.
Operation Iron Wall
The Israeli army launched a major offensive in the northern West Bank, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, on January 21. To date, 27 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin alone, including a pregnant woman and a two-year-old child. Dozens have been injured and scores of homes and infrastructure destroyed.
Happening now: Israeli tanks have entered the northern West Bank after 40,000 Palestinians were expelled from three refugee camps in the Jenin & Tulkarm areas. There’s a real and present danger that these camps will be erased. This genocide must be stopped. By us all. Now!
— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) February 23, 2025
Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes, with some homes seized by occupation forces and turned into military barracks.
Hundreds of Homes Destroyed
Around 120 homes have been completely demolished, with dozens more partially destroyed, according to the official Palestinian WAFA news agency, citing sources at Jenin Municipality and the Jenin Camp Services Center.
An estimated 160 Palestinians have been detained in Jenin, with the occupation forces continuing to carry out extensive raids and detentions in the city and surrounding towns and villages almost daily, WAFA reported.
West Bank Raids Intensify as Israel Targets Prisoners’ Homes, Displaces Thousands
In Tulkarm, the Israeli military incursion entered its 28th day on Sunday, and it the Nur Shams camp it continued for the 15th consecutive day.
WAFA reported that the Israeli forces sent heavy machinery and bulldozers to Tulkarm city late on Saturday night, heading toward Nablus Street, near the northern entrance of the Tulkarm refugee camp.
Water, Electricity Supply Damaged
The refugee camp has seen unprecedented destruction to its infrastructure, with Israeli bulldozers damaging electricity, water, sewage, and communication networks, alongside the demolition of over 14 homes in recent days.
In the Nur Shams refugee camp, Israeli occupation forces continue their provocative raids throughout several neighborhoods, raiding homes, and terrorizing residents, WAFA reported.
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Sounds of gunfire and explosions were also frequently heard.
Tension has escalated across the occupied West Bank, where at least 923 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal Jewish settlers since the Gaza onslaught began on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, cited by Anadolu.
Netanyahu Raids Tulkarm
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas criticized what it called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “provocative visit” on Friday to the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank as a “desperate display of political and military failure.”
In a statement, Hamas said Netanyahu was “attempting to cover up his repeated failures and ongoing setbacks in the face of our heroic Palestinian resistance.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raided a civilian Palestinian house in Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, which was turned into a military base after the family was forcibly expelled. pic.twitter.com/zl6YH1bmzk
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 21, 2025
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz toured the refugee camp, entering a Palestinian home after overseeing demolition and destruction operations.
(PC, Anadolu, WAFA)
