Israel says its military operation in occupied West Bank refugee camps is to "prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism."

Israeli forces have raided the Imam Ali Mosque in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, confiscating the recordings of surveillance cameras installed there.

Palestinian youth Tarek Qassas succumbed to gunshot wounds amid continued Israeli military operations in the West Bank.

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, echoing tactics already employed in Gaza as troops prepare for a long-term stay.

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

Gaza Israel has deployed tanks into the West Bank for the first time in 20 years, as its defence minister pledged a long-term operation that will prevent at least 40,000 displaced refugees from returning home.

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.

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.