Israeli tanks part of plans to annex West Bank by force

JENIN, Feb 25 (AFP): Palestinian militants said on Monday that an unusual deployment of Israeli tanks in the occupied West Bank, part of a major offensive that has displaced tens of thousands, may be a step toward annexation.

The torn-up streets surrounding the Jenin refugee camp in the territory's north were empty on Monday, an AFP journalist reported, as three Israeli Merkava tanks stationed at higher vantage points overlooked the area.

Displaced camp residents occasionally entered through a back alley to retrieve belongings from their homes. "We go back in to get things, whatever we can. We take the risk because we have to," said 52 -year-old Ahmad al-Qahrawi.

"We had nothing when we left, no clothes, nothing. We go back to get clothes because it's cold." Israeli leaders have repeatedly pledged to annex at least parts of the West Bank, which has been occupied since 1967, but any such proposal has been met with strong opposition from Palestinians and much of the international community.

Israeli strikes kill two

Palestinians in Gaza

Two Palestinians were killed in the Israel Defense Forces' strikes on the Gaza Strip in the past day, the enclave's Health Ministry said.

According to the agency, another five bodies were recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The ministry noted that many bodies still remained under the rubble, with civil defense workers unable to get to them. Also, Gaza hospitals provided medical assistance to six people who had suffered injuries in shelling attacks.