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Islamic Jihad Accuses Israel of Wanting to 'Annex West Bank by Force' after Tanks Deployed

People look on as Israeli tanks enter the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, on February 23, 2025. Israel on February 23 said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. - AFP
People look on as Israeli tanks enter the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, on February 23, 2025. Israel on February 23 said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. - AFP
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Islamic Jihad Accuses Israel of Wanting to 'Annex West Bank by Force' after Tanks Deployed

People look on as Israeli tanks enter the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, on February 23, 2025. Israel on February 23 said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. - AFP
People look on as Israeli tanks enter the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, on February 23, 2025. Israel on February 23 said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. - AFP

Palestine's Islamic Jihad on Monday accused Israel of wanting to "annex the West Bank by force" after Israel deployed tanks into the occupied territory for the first time in decades.

Israel said on Sunday its troops would remain for many months in refugee camps in the northern West Bank, after tens of thousands of Palestinians living there were displaced by an intensifying, weeks-long military operation.

The military also announced tank deployments in Jenin, where it said it was expanding its operations. This is the first time tanks have operated in the occupied West Bank since the end of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2005.

In a statement, Islamic Jihad said Israel's use of tanks and the evacuation of three Palestinian refugee camps "confirms the occupation's plans to annex the West Bank by force."

The militant group, which alongside Hamas fought a deadly war against Israel in Gaza until a ceasefire was announced last month, described the move as "a new act of aggression", AFP reported.

It was "aimed at uprooting our people from their land and consolidating military domination by creating settler corridors that reinforce the separation of West Bank cities and their camps," the group said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that three Palestinian refugee camps -- Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams -- were "now empty of residents" following Israel's offensive, which began last month.

Katz said he had 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 put the number of displaced Palestinians at 40,000, the same figure provided by the United Nations which said the offensive had so far killed at least 51 Palestinians including seven children, and three Israeli soldiers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare visit to troops in the territory last week and ordered the army to step up its operations in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Violence in the territory has surged since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 900 Palestinians, including many militants, in the territory since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

At least 32 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.

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Arab World

Syrians Rejoice during First Eid after Assad's Fall

Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
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Syrians Rejoice during First Eid after Assad's Fall

Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD

Eid al-Fitr in Syria was charged with newfound joy this year, as thousands freely celebrated the holiday for the first time after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

From the early morning hours, crowds of men, women and children flocked to pray at Damascus's historic Umayyad Mosque in the Old City.

"This is the first time we truly feel the joy of Eid, after getting rid of Assad's tyrannical regime," Fatima Othman told AFP.

Following prayer, worshippers exchanged Eid greetings while street vendors sold colorful balloons and toys to children posing for photos with their parents.

"Our celebration is doubled after Assad's fall," said Ghassan Youssef, a resident of the capital.

A few kilometers (miles) away, on the slopes of Mount Qasyun overlooking Damascus -- a site previously off-limits to Syrians until Assad was deposed on December 8 -- a few thousand people gathered at Unknown Soldier Square for an open-air prayer.

Among them were members of the security forces and the army, dressed in uniform and armed. The road leading to the square was packed, according to an AFP photographer.

Some worshippers distributed sweets to celebrate, while the three-star Syrian flag, adopted by the new authorities, waved in the air.

Under the previous government, access to the Unknown Soldier monument was typically restricted to Assad and his close associates, who would lay wreaths there during national ceremonies.

'Celebration of celebrations!'
The memorial, where a giant screen broadcast the Eid prayer, is near the presidential palace.

There, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa prayed alongside Syria's new mufti Osama al-Rifai and several cabinet ministers in the presence of a large crowd.

He later delivered a speech emphasizing the country faced "a long and arduous road to reconstruction but possesses all the resources needed to recover".

This came two days after the formation of a new government, which faces daunting challenges in a country devastated by 14 years of civil war.

Wael Hamamiya, who had been in Sweden since the early days of the conflict, returned to Damascus to celebrate Eid with his family.

"This is my first Eid here in nearly 15 years. I truly feel the celebration in its full meaning," he told AFP, beaming.

"Everyone who has come is over the moon. This is the celebration of celebrations!"

The occasion was more somber for some Syrians, who were able to visit the graves of loved ones that had been off-limits during Assad reign, especially in former opposition strongholds.

At al-Rawda Cafe in Damascus, 36-year-old Amer Hallaq chatted with friends after returning from exile in Berlin where he ended up after dodging compulsory military service in 2014.

"For years, I thought I'd never see my family again or celebrate Eid with them," Hallaq said.

"The joy of liberation and victory is immense, but there's still a lot of work ahead. This is only the beginning of the road."