By Ali Sawafta JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli bulldozers have demolished large areas of the now virtually empty Jenin refugee camp and appear to be carving wide roadways through its once-crowded warren of alleyways,

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,

The move came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a stop to the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The Israeli army confirmed on Sunday that it has deployed tanks to the northern occupied West Bank for the first time in 23 years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Tulkarm on Friday afternoon. While in Tulkarm, Netanyahu received a security briefing from Brig.-Gen. Yaki Dolf, Commander of the West Bank Division, Big.-Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, Head of the Civil Administration, and the Commander of the Ephraim Brigade.

The Israel Defense Force confirmed Sunday that it has deployed tanks to the West Bank as it expands counter-terrorism operations in Jenin.

Israel has deployed tanks to the West Bank for the first time in over two decades, aiming to combat Palestinian militants. The move occurs amid a fragile Gaza ceasefire and escalating tensions. Displacements and military operations in refugee camps further exacerbate regional instability.

Israel’s military sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than two decades as it expanded operations in the territory on Sunday in a move decried by Palestinian authorities as an escalation of aggression.

Since the end of the Gaza war, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israel's military operation in the northern West Bank towns of Jenin and Tulkarm, fueling fears that they won't be allowed back.