Chicago – February 23, 2025
Israel has announced plans to expand its military operations in the occupied West Bank and keep troops stationed in some refugee camps for the next year.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army had “evacuated” three refugee camps—Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams—and that 40,000 Palestinians had left. He ordered the military to remain in these camps to prevent residents from returning.
“For the next year, soldiers will stay in the cleared camps to stop terrorism from coming back,” Katz stated.
For over a month, Israeli forces have been raiding Palestinian homes and destroying key infrastructure, mainly in Jenin and Tulkarem. The Israeli military also confirmed that tanks have been sent into Jenin for the first time since 2005.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, strongly opposed the use of tanks in the northern West Bank.
Since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza on January 19, at least 27 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli army and settler attacks continued Sunday, with arrests in Nablus and East Jerusalem, and the destruction of power and water lines in Qabatiya.
