In photos: Israeli forces destroy Jenin camp

Israeli bulldozers have demolished large areas of the now virtually empty Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and appear to be destroying wide roadways, echoing tactics already employed in Gaza as troops prepare for a long-term stay.

Israel's assault that began just a day after reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza forcefully displaced at least 40,000 Palestinians in Jenin and the nearby city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank.

"Jenin is a repeat of what happened in Jabalia," said Basheer Matahen, spokesperson for the Jenin municipality, referring to the refugee camp in northern Gaza that was cleared out by the Israeli army. "The camp has become uninhabitable."

He said at least 12 bulldozers were at work demolishing houses and infrastructure in the camp. 

Once a crowded township, the camp housed descendants of some of the 750,000Palestinians who were expelled from their homes in 1948 during "Nakba" (or catastrophe) by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel in 1948.