Israel’s military deployed tanks Sunday into the occupied West Bank Sunday for the first time in more than two decades and said residents who had been “evacuated” will be prevented from returning, in a move decried by Palestinian authorities as an escalation of aggression.

Israeli tanks entered the occupied West Bank as the IDF prepared to fight Palestinian militant groups in the area's refugee camps. The move marks the first time Israel has sent tanks into the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years.

Associated Press journalists saw a handful of tanks move Sunday into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.