Palestinian group Islamic Jihad has accused Israel of wanting to “annex the West Bank by force” after Israel deployed tanks into the occupied territory for the first time in decades, AFP reports.

In a statement, Islamic Jihad said Israel’s use of tanks and the evacuation of three Palestinian refugee camps “confirms the occupation’s plans to annex the West Bank by force”.

The group, which alongside Hamas fought a deadly fight against Israel in Gaza until a ceasefire was announced last month, described the move as “a new act of aggression”.

It was “aimed at uprooting our people from their land and consolidating military domination by creating settler corridors that reinforce the separation of West Bank cities and their camps”, the group said.