A group of released Palestinian prisoners were met with cheers in Ramallah on Thursday (February 27), following an overnight exchange marking the final swap as part of a fragile truce in Gaza. Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages while it waited for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return.
Israel has ordered its military to prepare for an "extended stay" in parts of the occupied West Bank as it steps up operations against Palestinian militant groups, the Israeli defence minister said on Sunday.
Israeli tanks have moved into the occupied West Bank for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities call a "dangerous escalation."
Analysts say Israel's West Bank assault and settlement expansion signal a deliberate effort to erase Palestinian identity and establish absolute control through annexation and forced displacement
Zain Jaafar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Supported by By Fatima AbdulKarim and Patrick Kingsley Fatima AbdulKarim reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Patrick Kingsley from Jerusalem.
The move came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a stop to the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.