ISRAEL’S defence minister said today troops would remain “for the coming year” in parts of the occupied West Bank.

This follows complaints by Hamas over the decision by Tel Aviv to halt the release of detainees promised under the ceasefire deal.

The Israelis have deepened their crackdown on the Palestinian territory since launching their military offensive on the northern West Bank on January 21 — two days after the ceasefire that paused the war in Gaza took hold. They then expanded it to include other nearby areas.