UPDATE - Israel deploys 6 more brigades to West Bank ahead of Passover holiday

ADDS PALESTINIAN REACTION, CHANGES DECK

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar

JERUSALEM/ The Israeli army announced on Friday that it has deployed six additional brigades to the occupied West Bank in preparation for the upcoming Jewish Passover holiday, which runs from April 12 to April 20.

The military buildup was reported by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, which said the reinforcements are aimed at “enhancing security” across the territory amid rising tensions and concerns over potential attacks.

The Israeli army claimed it had detained 85 Palestinians over the past week, labeling them as "wanted," and also reported the confiscation of weapons. However, the military did not disclose specific deployment locations for the newly arrived forces.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned that Israel exploits Jewish holidays to increase its settlement activities aimed at annexing the Palestinian territory, the latest of which was issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deputy Yariv Levin who pushed for plans to impose Israel's sovereignty on the West Bank.

The Foreign Ministry described the calls as "a continuation of (Israel's) crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation."

It noted that it "views with grave concern the occupation army's decision to increase its troop deployments in the West Bank under the pretext of the holidays," which it said is part of Israeli measures "to accelerate the rolling annexation of the West Bank."

On Tuesday, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN quoted Israeli security warnings over potential attacks against Israelis abroad during the Jewish holidays period.

Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt during the time of Prophet Moses, is considered one of the most important holidays on the Jewish religious calendar.

Tensions have been high in the West Bank since the Israeli war on Gaza, killing at least 947 Palestinians and injuring over 7,000 others since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.