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The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Occupation Army, Iyal Zamir, decided to activate the command of the 98th Division in the occupied West Bank, assigning it responsibility for areas in southern West Bank, including Hebron Governorate, in a move described by Israeli reports as "exceptional and not taken in this form for years".
According to Israeli reports, the 98th Division, which includes paratrooper brigades and commando units, will take responsibility for the southern region of the West Bank.
This step comes amid estimates by the occupation authorities of a possible escalation of tension in the West Bank in the coming days, coinciding with the Jewish "Throne" holiday, the start of the olive harvest season, and the approaching date of the Israeli elections.
In this context, the Israeli Occupation Army seeks to strengthen its field deployment and increase the density of its forces on main roads and around settlements, in addition to increasing forces in areas that witness frequent clashes.
The Israeli Occupation Army also links these measures to the expectation of large numbers of settlers participating in incursions into different sites across the West Bank during the Jewish holidays.
Its estimates also include the Palestinian olive harvest season, which annually witnesses attacks by settlers on Palestinian farmers, coinciding with the reinforcement of the Israeli Occupation Army's deployment in areas surrounding settlements and on bypass roads.
These reinforcements come at a time when the West Bank is witnessing a continuous field escalation, amid Palestinian fears that the increased deployment of occupation forces and settlers will lead to more attacks in the coming period.
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