 "Israel plans to continue military operation in West Bank for a year, biggest in a decade")
While there is uncertainty over whether the Israel-Hamas war will resume, the Jewish nation has sent tanks to the West Bank city of Jenin . The matter is concerning since this marked the first deployment of its kind in the Palestinian region for more than two decades. Israel Defence Force (IDF) said that the deployment of the tanks was necessary for its operation, which is expected to last “at least a year”.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that the latest operation across the West Bank will continue to expand and the troops would remain in the areas that are known as “urban hotspots” for “the coming year”. He also noted that 40,000 people who have been displaced due to the fighting would also not be allowed to return to their homes until the operation is over.
The last time IDF sent tanks to the northern city of Jenin was at the height of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in 2002. Israel’s latest operation in the West Bank was launched just two days after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect on January 19. As of now, the operation in the West Bank has killed more than 50 people and ripped roads and infrastructures near the territory’s refugee camps.
Tensions in the West Bank were long-simmering before the Israel-Hamas war
The Palestinian refugee camps which were set up in 1948, when Israel was created, now resemble urban slums. These regions have been home to armed resistance to the Israeli occupation. It is pertinent to note that the Israeli army began large-scale operations in the West Bank in the spring of 2022, a year before Hamas conducted the October 7 attack in southern Israel.
Tension in the Palestinian region further escalated on Thursday night after a series of bus explosions rocked Tel Aviv that appeared to detonate early, causing no casualties. In a Telegram post, a branch of Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, from the West Bank city of Tulkarem lauded the attack but stopped short of taking responsibility for the incident.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, there have been delayed talks about the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire. The second phase would involve a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, in return for all hostages. The phase was due to begin this week, but no announcements have been made in this regard as of now.
On Sunday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish nation is prepared to return to hostilities in Gaza “ at any moment ” and vowed to complete the war’s objectives “whether through negotiation or by other means”. “There will be no dialogue with Israel through the mediators at any stage before the release of the Palestinian prisoners. The mediators must oblige Israel to implement the agreement," a senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, said after Netanyahu’s remarks.
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